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Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproduct'ons  historiques 

1980 


Technical  Notes  /  Notes  techniques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
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Couvertures  de  couleur 


Coloured  maps/ 

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Pages  d6color6es.  tachetdes  ou  piqudes 


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Library  of  the  Public 

Archives  of  Canada 

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V-- 


CAMPAIGNS 


.  I' 


OF  THE 


WAR    OF    1812-15, 


AGAINST 


GREAT   BlUTAIN, 


SKETCHED    AND    CRITICISED; 


WITH 


Irtaf  ^iojnijiIibH 


OF  THE 


AMERICAN    ENGINEERS, 


BY 


BVT.  MAJOf^-GENERAL  GEOp  W.  CULLUM, 

COLONEL,  CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS,  U.  S.  ARMY-RETIRED. 


t  -^ 


NP:VV  YORK: 

JAMKS    MILLER,    PUBLISHER 

779  BROADWAY. 

1879. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1879,  by 

QF.ORGE   W.  CULLUM, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress.  Washington,  D.  C. 


A.  <!.  SHKliwooD  A  Co.,  PrlnlerB,  7«  Nlath  St.,  N.  Y. 


PREFACE. 


This  w<U{K  does  not  profess  to  ijjive  a  minute 
History  of  the  War  of  1812-15,  by  the  United  States 
ai,'ainst  Great  Bi'itain ;  but  the  sketches  of  the  Cam- 
paigns are  sutticiently  detailed  for  an  intelligent 
understanding  of  their  military  features,  and  to  indi- 
cate  their  tactical  and  strategical  errors.  Each  Cam- 
paign is  illustrated  with  a  good  skeleton  Map  of  its 
Theatre  of  Operations  and  with  outline  Plans  of  its 
principal  Battles,  Sieges,  etc. ;  for  most  of  whicli  I 
am  deeply  indel^ted  to  the  Messrs  Hai-pers  Brothers, 
who  courteously  y  -"litted  me  to  copy  them  from 
the  "Pictorial  Field  -jk  of  the  War  of  1812,  by 
Benjamin  J.  Lossing  " — the  distinguished  author  of 
so  many  valuable  histories. 

The  Biographical  Sketches  of  our  American 
Engineers,  interwoven  with  the  narrations  of  the 
cam[)aigns  of  this  war,  are  of  men  who,  in  character, 
intelligence  and  love  of  country,  were  the  worthy 
successors  of  oui'  patriot  soldiers  of  the  Revolution. 
For  most  of  the  materials  with  which  to  write  the 
sketch,  in  Chapter  I.,  of  General  Jonathan 
Williams,  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  his  son,  lately  de- 
ceased, under  whose  hospitable  roof,  at  Chestnut  Hill, 


PUEr'ACE. 


near  Pliiludelpliia,  I  lia<l  jtlaccd  at  my  disposal  all  of 
his  fatliei''s  well  preserved  public  and  private  papers. 
For  tlie  ])rej)ai'atioii  of  the  sketch,  in  ('ha|>ter  II.,  I 
had  great  advantages,  having,  after  l)eing  graduated 
at  the  Militai'v  Academy,  served  my  ])i"ofeHsional 
ajiprenticeship  under  (rKXiiiiAL  'J'ottkn,  and  con- 
tiinied  sul)ject  to  liis  orders,  as  ('liief  Kngineer  of  the 
Army,  till  his  death  in  ISfU.  After  vexatious 
delays  and  much  tedious  correspon<lence  in  search 
of  data  for  writing  the  sketch,  in  ('ha[>ter  III.,  of 
LiEUT.-CoLONKL  Wooi»,  I  fortunately  discovered,  at 
last,  the  residence  of  the  survivors  of  his  brothers' 
families,  who  have  been  untiring  in  hunting  up  a 
few  precious  })a])ers  from  which  I  have  piepared  an 
account  of  this  knightlv  soldiei-.  For  sketching 
General  Swiff's  biograjdiy,  in  Chaj)ter  IV.,  I  had 
every  desirable  facility,  his  brother,  formerly  a 
prominent  ofiicei' of  Toj)ograi)hical  Engineers,  having 
given  me  free  access  to  the  General's  diary  and  his 
many  valuable  papers.  The  preparation  (►f  the 
sketch,  in  Chapter  V.,  of  Colonel  McUee,  was  a 
very  difficult  task,  as  he  wrote  little,  and  I  had, 
therefore,  mainly  to  rely  uj)on  my  recollection  of 
conversations  with  otiicers  who  had  served  with  him 
on  the  Niagara  and  else^vhere.  Major  Douclass, 
the  subject  of  Chapter  VI.,  I  })ers()nally  knew  and 
had  all  his  professional  papers  placed  at  my  disposal 
through  the  courtesy  of  his  worthy  son — Rev.  Mai- 


PUKFACVE. 


O 


eoliii  Doui^Iuss,  D.l).  F(tr  flu*  sliort  sketch  of  Gkn- 
KUAL  Akmisti;ai>,  in  Cliaptcr  \'II.  my  iiiat«M'iaIs  were 
very  iiieanre.  Of  Ma.hui  IwAToik,  wliose  l)i<>gra])liy 
is  briefly  sketelietl  in  Cluipter  N'lII.,  I  extremely 
rei^i'et  I  could  learn  l>ut  little,  tliougli  eveiy  avenue 
of  information  was  thorouglily  explored,  in  which  1 
had  the  most  etticient  assistance  of  my  friend,  (Nil- 
(Hiel  Kdwai-d  A.  I'alfrey,  of  New  Orleans.  The 
sketches,  in  Chajiter  IX.,  are  of  Kn(;ixkkks,  with 
some  of  whom  1  enjoyed  years  of  [)ersonal  intimacy. 

As  a  fitting  appendix  to  my  work,  I  have  given 
in  Chapter  X.,  the  giaphic  Jochxal  of  Likct.- 
CoLoxKL  AVooD,  while  Chief  Kngineer  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  Harrison,  in  his  Northwestern  Campaigns  of 
1812-18.  This  Journal,  often  quoted  from  by  his- 
torians of  the  War  of  1812-15,  never  before  has 
been  published.  Through  the  great  kindness  of  the 
ColoneFs  niece,  Mrs.  I).  G.  Dodge  of  House's  Point, 
N.  Y.,  I  ])rocured  the  original  niannscript,  with  the 
excei)tion  of  a  few  missing  [)ages,  and  to  prevent  fur- 
ther loss  of  any  part  of  this  valual)le  document,  I 
obtained  her  consent  to  its  appearance  in  this  work. 

These  ten  chaptei's  make  up  a  volume,  which  I 
trust  will  pi'ove  woi'thy  of  the  })erusal  of  historical 
students. 

G.  W.  C. 

315  Fifth  Avenue, 
New  Yobk  City,  June  17,  1879. 


CONTENTS. 


CMAl'TKU    FIlfST. 


PA<»E 


MILITARY  EDUCATION  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAK  ;  WITH 
A  BIOGUAPIIICAL  SKETCH  OF  HUIOADIEU-CENEIIAL 
WILLIAMS, 9 


CHAPTER    SECOND. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1812  ;   WITH  A   BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH  OF 

MAJOR-GENERAL  JOSEPH  G.   TOTTEN.        ...        65 


C^IIAPTER    THIRD. 

WESTERN    CAMPAIGN  OF   1813;    WITH   A  BIOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCH  OF  LIEUT.-COLONEL  ELEAZER  D.  WOOD,     .      91 


CHAPTER    FOURTH. 

EASTERN    CAMPAIGN    OF    1813;    WITH   A  BIOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCH  OF  BRIG. -GENERAL  JOSEPH  G.  SWIFT,      .      HI 


CHAPTER    FIFTH. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1814  ;  WITH  A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF 

COLONEL  WILLIAM  McREE, 199 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   SIXTH. 


PAGE 


SIEGE  AND  DEFENSE  OF  FORT  ERIE,  IN  1814  ;  WITH  A 
BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  MAJOR  DAVID  BATES 
DOUGLASS 234 


CHAPTER    SEVENTH. 

CHESAPEAKE  CAMPAIGN  OF  1813-14  ;  WITH  A  BIOGRAPH- 
ICAL SKETCH  OF  BRIG.-GENERAL  WALKER  K. 
ARMISTEAD 269 


CHAPTER    EIGHTH. 

LOUISIANA   CAMPAIGN    OF   ISU-lo  ;    WITH   A   BIOGRAPH- 
ICAL SKETCH  OF  MAJOR  A.  LACARRIERE  LATOUR,     305 


CHAPIER   NINTH. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  ENGINEERS  ENG 
THE  WAR  OF  18)2-15, 
BRIG.-GENERAL  CHARLES  GRATIOT, 
(CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  PARTRIDGE, 
BRIG.-GENERAL  SYLVANUS  THAYER. 
BRIG.-GENERAL  RENI^  E.  DE  RUSSY, 
LIEUT.  GEORGE  TRESCOT,    . 
LIEUT.  HORACE  C.  STORY,    . 


\GED   IN 


342 
342 
;i53 
354 
355 
360 
361 


CHAPTER    TENTH. 

JOURNAL  OF  THE  NORTHWESTERN  CAMPAIGN  OF  1812  13, 
UNDER  MAJOR-GENERAL  WILLIAM  H.  HARRISON. 
BY  BVT.  LIEUT-COLONEL  ELEAZER  D.  WOOD,  CAPT. 
CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS,  U.  S.  ARMY,       .        .        .        .362 


CHAPTER   FIRST. 


MILITARY    EDUCATION    AND   CAUSES    OP   THE    WAR; 

WITH    A    BIOCJRAPHICAL    SKETCH     OF 

BRIG.-GENERAL    JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


•ExpERiEXCE  in  the  first  eainpaigiis  of  tlie  War  of 
the  Revolution  strongly  impressed  on  the  mind  of 
Washington  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  systematic 
anny  organization.  His  chief  difficulty  in  carrying 
out  such  a  plan  was  to  obtain  properly  instructed 
engineei's  which,  except  the  few  wlio  had  seen  service 
at  Louisburg,  Crown  Point,  Ticonderoga  and  QueV)ec, 
were  not  to  be  found  in  the  country ;  hence  common 
surveyoi's,  men  with  a  modicum  of  scientific  knowl- 
edge, and  adventurers  professing  to  have  been  edu- 
cated in  foreiiiii  military  schools,  were  often  com- 
missioned with  liigh  rank  in  the  C\mtinental  Amiy. 
Washington's  correspondence  is  filled  with  com- 
plaints of  the  impei-fect  qualifications  and  the  paucity 
of  engineers  in  the  army.  To  Congi'ess,  July  10, 
1775,  he  writes  of  his  lack  of  engineers  to  direct  the 
defenses  of  Boston,  "the  skill  of  those  we  have  being 
very  impeiTect "  ;  to  (xovernor  Trumbull,  Nov.  2, 1775, 
he  says:  "I  sincerely  wish  this  camp  could  furnish  a 
good  engineer";  and  to  the  Committee  of  Safety  of 
Pennsylvania,  June  17,  1776,  which  had  applied  to 


10     MILITARY  EDUCATIOX  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR. 


him  for  an  engineer  to  erect  a  redoubt  at  Billiiigspoi*t, 
he  rej)lies :  "  I  liave  but  one  cm  whose  judgment  I 
should  wish  to  depend  in  hiying  out  any  work  of  tlie 
least  consequence.  Congress  well  know  my  wants  in 
this  instance  aii<l  several  of  my  late  letters  to  them 
have  pressed  the  api)ointment  of  gentlemen  (jualified 
for  the  business,"  Congress  authorized  a  Corps  of 
Engineers,  Dec.  27, 177H,  but  most  of  tliose  emj)loyed 
proving  to  be  incompetent  charlatans.  Congress  at 
last,  through  our  Commissioners  at  Paris — Dr. 
Franklin  and  Silas  Deane — was  compelled  to  ask 
Louis  XVI.  for  engineers;  for,  said  the  sarcastic 
General  Charles  Lee,  "  we  had  not  an  officer  who  knew 
the  difference  between  a  chevan.v-dr-fri.sH  and  a  cab- 
bage  garden."  From  this  time  till  the  end  of  the 
Revolution  we  probal^ly  had  in  service  some  thirty 
engineer  officers,  mostly  foreigners,  exclusive  of  those 
attached  to  the  three  com])anies  of  engineer  troops — 
all  of  whom,  on  tlie  conclusion  of  peace,  were  dis- 
banded. 

From  the  termination  of  the  War  of  Indepen- 
dence, in  1783,  to  the  end  of  his  life,  AVasliington 
urged  upon  his  country  the  importance  of  military 
instruction.  Before  the  Continental  Army  was  dis- 
banded, he  called  ui)on  his  general  officers,  April  14, 
1788,  to  present  their  \'iews  with  reference  to  a  peace 
establishment,  to  enable  him  to  prepare  his  elaborate 
report  to  Congress,  in  which  military  education  was 
strongly  recommended.  No  such  j)rovision  having 
been  made,  AVashington,  in  his  speecli  to  Congress, 
December  8,  1793,  asks  whether,  in  the  act  more 
effectually  to  provide  for  the  national  defense,  "a 


BRIG.-GENEltAL    .JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


11 


iHJiterial  feature  in  our  ini])r<)veinent  of  it  ought  not 
to  he  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  tlie  study  <^f  those 
branches  of  the  military  art  which  can  scarcely  ever 
be  attained  by  practice  alone."  On  this  reconinien- 
dation,  Congress  in  1794  created  the  subaltei'u  grade 
of  Cadet,  tlie  cadets  being  attached  to  their  regi- 
ments and  "furnished  at  the  jniblic  ex])ense  with  tlie 
necessary  books,  instruments  and  ap]>ai'atus  ''  foi'  their 
instruction  ;  but  this  plan  of  educating  ycumg  oiticers 
at  their  posts  was  f(MUi<l  inii)racticable  ;  hence  Wash- 
ington, in  liis  last  animal  message,  December  7,  17.Hi, 
again  ui'ged  in  the  most  cogent  language  the  estal)- 
lishment  of  a  Military  Academy,  where  a  ivgular 
course  of  instruction  in  the  science  of  war  could 
be  given,  "Whatever  argument,"  says  he,  "may 
be  drawn  from  particular  examples,  supei'iicially 
viewed,  a  thorough  examination  of  the  sul)ject  will 
evince  that  the  art  of  war  is  at  once  com])rehensive 
and  conn)licated  ;  that  it  demands  much  ])revious 
study  ;  and  the  possession  of  it,  in  its  most  imi)roved 
and  pei-fect  state,  is  always  of  great  moment  to  tlie 
security  of  a  nation.  This,  therefore,  ought  to  be  a 
serious  care  of  everv  wvernment."  After  leavinir 
the  executive  chaii-,  he  writes,  December  18,  1798,  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  upon  the  importance  of  having 
good  engineers  and  artillerists,  and  the  impossibility 
of  forming  them  suddenly,  when  "  much  i)revioiis 
study  and  experience  are  essential."  Again,  May  l'^, 
1799,  he  writes  to  liim  earnestly  upon  the  necessity 
of  having  instructed  engineers;  and  finally,  two  days 
before  his  death,  Decem})er  12,  1799,  in  his  last  pub- 
lic letter,  he  says  to  (General  Alexander  Hamilton : 


^^mm 


12     MILITARY  EDUCATION  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR. 


"The  establishment  of  a  Military  Academy  upon  a 
respectable  and  extensive  basis  has  ever  been  con- 
sidered by  me  as  an  object  of  primary  importance  to 
this  country  ;  and  Avhile  I  was  in  the  chair  of  govern- 
ment, I  omitted  no  proper  op])oi'tunity  of  recom- 
mending it  in  my  public  speeches,  and  otherwise  to 
the  attention  of  the  legislature." 

At  last  his  earnest  efforts  and  those  of  the  patriot 
statesmen  and  generals  of  the  Revolution,  secui'ed 
the  establishment,  March  16,  1802,  of  the  Military 
Academy  at  West  Point,  then  a  school  for  ten  Cadets 
of  Engineers  and  forty  of  Artillery ;  and  now  a 
world  renowned  institution,  educating  over  three 
hundred  pupils  for  all  branches  of  service  in  the 
Anny. 

General  Jonathan  Willia:\is,  the  first  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Military  Academy,  is  so  identified 
with  its  early  struggles,  and  by  his  noble  character 
so  fashioned  the  future  of  his  pupils,  particularly 
those  of  his  own  cor))s — our  American  Engineers, 
who  participated  in  the  War  of  1812-15,  against 
Great  Britain — that  we  must  enter  somewliat  into 
the  details  of  liis  biography,  though,  for  reasons 
which  will  appear,  he  took  no  active  part  in  our 
second  struggle  for  Independence. 

Jonathan  Williams  was  boi'n.  May  2(),  1750,  in 
Boston,  Mass.  Ilis  father,  of  the  same  name,  was  a 
much  respected  merchant  largely  engaged  in  the 
West  India  trade ;  was  a  staunch  Whig  and  aiiKmg 
the  foremost  [)at riots  who  took  part  in  the  struggle 
of  the  Colonists  against  the  mother  country;  was 
moderator,  in  1773,  of  the  memorable  meetings  at 


RUIG.-dK.VKKAL    JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


13 


Faiieiiil  Hall  to  f(»rl)i<l  the  landing  of  tlie  tea,  sub- 
8e(|uently  thrown  into  the  harbor;  and  in  1775, 
became  a  fugitive  from  B(^8ton,  tlien  occujned  by 
Britisli  troo[)s  who  burned  liis  store  and  seized  all  liis 
property.  His  mother,  Grace  Williams  (^nee  Harris), 
a  lady  of  good  abilities  and  cultivated  tastes,  was  the 
niece  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin. 

Young  Williams  received  a  good  English  edu- 
cation,  but  before  it  was  completed  lie  was  placed 
in  his  father's  counting  house  to  be  brought  up  as  a 
merchant.  He  was  an  intelligent  and  studious  boy, 
devoting  all  his  leisure  to  the  ac(piirement  of  knowl- 
edge, thus  obtaining  a  considerable  proficiency  in  the 
classics  and  a  ready  and  familiar  acquaintance  with 
the  French  language  without  even  a  master,  his  father 
refusing  him  one  because  of  his  dislike  to  French 
principles.  Williams'  letters  from  the  West  Indies 
and  many  parts  of  Europe  where  he  traveled,  dis- 
play his  maturity  of  Judgment,  excellent  business 
faculties,  and  clear  conceptions  of  men  and  things. 

He  went  to  England  in  1770,  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence with  his  grand-uncle,  Dr.  Franklin,  to  whom 
he  made  himself  very  useful  by  putting  his  accounts 
in  complete  order — a  labor  so  liighly  appreciated  by 
Franklin  that  he  presented  to  Williams  a  handsome 
gold  watch,  ui)on  receiving  which  he  remarked  that 
he  would  nuich  prefer  the  Doctor's  old  one,  which 
was  given  to  him  and  is  now  a  family  heirloom. 
Ever  after  he  was  a  great  favorite  of  his  grand-uncle. 

He  returned  to  Boston,  in  1771,  where  lie  was 
engaged  for  three  years  in  mercantile  pursuits.  Just 
after  the   famous  Boston   "tea-party"  of    Dee.    16, 


^ 


14      MILITARY  EDFCATION  AXT)  CATTSES  OF  THE  WAR. 

1773,  lie  again  went  to  England,  and  pi'ol)a])ly  car- 
ried abroad  the  first  account  of  this  bold  proceeding, 
as  will  appear  from  the  following  letter  to  liis  fatlier : 
"After  seeing  my  merchants,  I  went  to  see  tlie  Doc- 
tor (Franklin)  whom  I  found  in  exceeding  good 
health  and  spirits,  and  was  welcomed  by  him  with  a 
degree  of  joy  and  affection  which  surpassed  even 
the  expectations  I  had  formed  from  the  former 
proofs  I  received  of  extensive  goodness  and  friend- 
ship. I  waited  again  on  my  uncle,  ]>ut  he  was  not 
at  home;  went  then  to  Lord  Dartmouth's  (Colonial 
Secretary)  at  whose  levee  I  met  my  uncle.  After 
sending  my  name  and  business,  I  was  inunediately 
admitted  to  his  lordship,  who  received  me  with  great 
l)oliteness.  AVhen  he  had  read  the  letters  he  asked 
me  many  questions,  which  I  answered  as  well  as  I 
was  able.  I  told  him  of  the  opinion  of  tlie  people, 
their  firmness,  their  determination,  and  their  inten- 
tion of  a  junction  of  the  colonies,  which  I  delivered 
perhaps  not  in  polite,  but  in  American  language.  I 
left  out  nothing  which  I  thought  would  give  his  lord- 
slii})  a  true  idea  of  the  importance  and  virtue  of  the 
Americans,  and  having  the  strictest  truth  for  my 
guide,  I  was  not  in  the  least  confused  nor  abashed, 
but  spoke  as  I  would  to  any  other  man.  He  heard 
me  with  great  politeness  and  although  I  frecpiently 
discovered  a  sense  of  the  impropriety  of  the  admin- 
istration, he  seemed  ]ileased.  He  then  asked  me  my 
private  opinion.  'Mr.  Williams,'  said  he,  'I  wish  to 
come  at  truth,  and  as  a  man  alone,  shall  be  glad  of 
your  sentiments  with  regard  to  the  disposition  of  the 
Americans.     I  ask  it  as  a  private  gentleman;   this 


.^r 


BRIO.-OHNEItAL   JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


15 


convei'Hation  is  confidential,  and  you  may  depend  I 
shall  make  no  public  use  of  what  you  tell  me.'  I 
made  some  little  apology  for  my  inferiority  in  point  of 
abilities,  but  said,  that  as  he  had  assured  me  we  wei-e 
private  gentlemen,  1  would  relate  to  him  all  I  knew ; 
but  being  unused  to  elegant  addresses,  I  should  pre- 
sume on  his  indulgence,  and  deliver  my  sentiments 
in  mv  own  unadorned  way,  and  endeavor  to  utter 
sim[)le  truths,  without  confounding  the  matter  by 
seeking  to  establish  the  manner.  I  then  told  him 
that  the  Americans  never  would  submit;  that  they 
would  not  be  surprised  when  the  <>ther  acts  should 
arrive;  that  they  ex})ected  the  worst,  and  were 
accordingly  prepared  ;  tliat  I  believed  the  junction 
would  take  place  ;  and  that  they  thought  now  or 
never  was  the  time ;  that  they  supposed  by  submis- 
sion they  would  make  themselves  the  most  abject 
slaves  on  eai'th  ;  and  that  by  opposition  they  could 
not  be  worse  ;  that  Parliament  had  no  right  to  tax 
them  ;  and  that  they  would  die  by  this  opinion  ;  and 
that  a  universal  non-exportation  would  l)e  attended 
with  salutary  effects.  His  lordship,  after  some  time, 
asked  me  if  I  knew  '  Mr.  Williams  who  appeared  as 
moderator  of  that  assembly  (the  meeting  at  Faneuil 
Hall).'  He  is  my  father,  my  lord.  'And  is  your 
father  a  principal  in  these  disturbances  ?  Mr.  AVil- 
liams,  how  comes  that,  sir^  My  father,  my  h)rd,  is 
an  honest  man,  and  one  who  seeks  not  fame.  He 
was  in  that  meeting  as  any  other  man  might  be, 
and  when  chosen  was  much  suqu'Ised  ;  he  expressed 
himself  as  being  unacquainted  with  the  oiRce  ;  and 
on  the  motion  being  put,  and  passed  in  the  negative, 


16      MILITAUV    KUrCATION   AND  CAl  SKri  OF  TIIH   WAU. 


f 


he  tlierefore  officiated.  ]V[y  fjitlier,  my  lord,  lias 
been  so  little,  heretofore,  engaged  in  political  dis- 
putes, that  I  was  as  much  surprised  as  I  should  he 
had  your  lordshij)  been  in  the  desk.  But,  my  lord, 
I  am  only  relating  facts ;  it  is  not  for  me  to  disj)ute 
on  the  merit  or  demerit  of  my  fathers  conduct,  but 
I  am  sure  he  acted  according  to  the  dictates  of  his 
conscience  and  upon  horiest  princi})les ;  and  thus 
acting  I  hope  your  lordship  will  not  think  him 
wrong,  though  you  may  not  agree  in  sentiment.  He 
smiled,  and  after  })aying  me  a  compliment  for  my 
plainness  antl  freedom,  said  laughingly,  so,  then, 
your  father  may  say  with  Falstaft* :  '  Some  men  are  in 
pursuit  of  honor,  but  others  have  honors  in  pursuit 
of  them.' " 

He  writes  again,  in  September,  1774,  that  he  antici- 
pated warm  work  in  Parliament,  and  that  greater 
opposition  than  is  expected  would  be  encountered  in 
the  ministry ;  but  that  our  unanimity  and  firmness 
nuist  eventually  gain  the  point. 

After  a  shoi*t  visit  to  France,  he  writes,  May  15, 
1775,  from  London  almost  prophetically.  He  says: 
"  I  have  passed  two  months  in  the  most  agreeable 
manner  possible,  except  with  regard  to  my  reflections 
relative  to  my  unhaj)py  coimtry,  which  ahvays  at- 
tend me  wherever  I  go  *  *  *  The  French  are 
all  in  oiir  favor.  They  suj)po8e  England  to  have 
arrived  at  its  pinnacle  of  glory,  and  that  the  Empire 
of  America  will  ris;^  on  the  ruins  of  this  Kingdom ; 
and  I  really  believe  that  when  we  shall  be  involved 
in  civil  war,  they  will  gladly  embrace  the  first  op])or- 
t unity  of  renewing  their  attacks  on  an  old  enemy, 


BRia.-GEXERAL   JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


17 


wlio  tliey  imau^ine  will  be  so  wealceued  by  its  interiijil 
broils,  as  to  become  an  easy  c;on([uest.  Altlu)ii<T^li  I 
profess  myself  an  American,  I  am  still  an  Enj^lisli- 
man  ;  I  only  wish  the  titles  to  be  synonymous;*  and 
therefore  do  not  liope  for  the  destruction  of  this 
country;  I  only  wish  the  jn-osperity  of  my  own;  and 
that  its  rij^hts  and  i)rivileo:es  may  ever  I'emain  in- 
violate, to  secure  which  no  sacrifice  should  be  thouii'lit 
too  dear;  so  I  do  not  ffive  the  French  so  much 
credit  for  their  ]>artiality,  for  I  believe  it  to  jn'oceed 
in  general  more  from  a  hatred  to  England,  than  ah)ve 
to  us ;  though  in  some  particulars,  I  believe  the  natural 
rights  of  humanity  are  the  basis  of  their  opinions." 

Full  of  youthful  hope  that  our  differences  with 
the  mother  country  Avould  yet  be  reconciled,  he  had 
nearly  completed  a  mercantile  cimnection  Avith  a 
large  Ensrlish  house  extensivelv  eiiijaged  in  the  West 
India  trade,  when  the  inevitable  sej)aration  of  the 
two  ct)untries  decided  liim  to  quit  England  and 
reside  in  France.  Writitrg  from  Nantes,  Feb.  11, 
1777,  he  says  :  "  When  I  wrote  to  you  from  England 
I  was  in  the  ex])ectation  of  taking  up  my  residence 
in  that  country.  The  scene  is  now  changed ;  and 
since  it  becomes  a  question  which  of  the  Uvo  coun- 
tries I  Avould  prefer  in  a  separate  state,  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  (piit  all  my  lucrative  views,  and  to  come 
hither,  to  do  all  the  service  I  can,  without  expecta- 
tion of  further  emolument  than  a  subsistence.  It  is 
n(^t  improbable  that  I  shall  engage  in  the  American 


•  See  "  Sabine's  Loyalists  in  America  "  for  the  sentiments  at  thl?  time 
of  Adams,  and  other  distinguished  Americans  with  regard  to  England. 


18    MrLiTAUY  KorrATroN  axd  cafsks  of  the  war. 


trade  ill  some  ])ai't  of  Fruncc,  or  ivturii  to  some  ])art 
of  America,  diarized  witli  tlie  maiiai^ement  of  com- 
mercial matters.  Wliatever  I  do  in  this  way  will  T)e 
upon  a  large  scale,  and  whilst  I  am  doinu!;  essential 
service  to  my  country,  I  may  advance  my  (►wn  for- 
tune. In  this,  however,  I  make  a  distinction  ;  what- 
ever I  am  ca])al)le  of  doin<(  for  the  benefit  of  the 
cause,  I  will  undertake,  with  pleasure,  gratis;  hut 
otherwise,  in  all  commercial  enu:a<i:ements  with  indi- 
vidiials  of  another  nation." 

These  letters,  of  which  there  are  many  others, 
be  it  remembered,  were  the  effusions  of  a  young 
man  of  twenty-six,  yet  how  simply  and  forcibly  ex- 
pressed ;  what  an  exhil)ition  of  self-reliance  and 
conscious  rectitude;  how  full  of  patriotic  fire  and 
indignation  against  wrong ;  what  perception  of  the 
springs  of  ^  human  action  and  knowledge  of  their 
effects ;  and,  gras[)ing  the  significance  of  ])assing 
events,  liow  pr()])hetic  of  the  future  !  His  letters  to 
Dr.  Franklin,  then  in  America,  and  to  Rol)ert 
Morris,  one  of  his  cherished  corres])ondeiits,  breathe 
a  like  love  of  country,  and  display  a  large  insight 
into  men  and  nations. 

As  a  commercial  assent  of  the  United  States  at 
Nantes,  thougli  separated  from  the  land  he  loved, 
and  deeply  interested  in  her  struggle  for  indepen- 
dence, he  performed,  with  honorable  fidelity,  his 
l)romise  of  gratuitously  doing  all  in  his  power  for 
the  freedom  of  America. 

He  married,  Sept.  12,  1779,  Marianine  Alexander, 
dauijhter  of  William  Alexander  of  Edinburi::,  in 
Scotland,  a  connection  of  Lord  Stirling.     The  cere- 


BRIO.-fJENKKAL    JONATHAN    AVILTJAMS. 


19 


numy  took  \Aiive  in  Paris,  in  tlie  cliaiu'l  of  the  Dutcli 
Aiiihassador,  Dr.  Franklin  Itcin*;  ))reMent. 

lie  was  aj)i»ointe<l,  in  178.'i,  l)y  tlie  Fanners-Gen- 
eral of  France,  as  their  auent  to  sn))]»ly  tlieni  witli 
tohacro,  tlien  and  now  a  <i;ovei'nnient  monopoly,  which 
took  him  to  St.  (Termain-en-La\e.  iVftei*  two  years 
he  returned  to  Amei'ica  with  Di-.  Franklin,  takinir 
U])  his  residence  in  Philadelj)hia. 

Diiriiii^  the  next  three  years  lie  remained  in  the 
United  States,  enii'aijfed  in  settlinij  and  ari-ani:;in_i2:  his 
aifairs  which  had  become  involved  in  conse(|Uence 
of  the  wai',  the  de])reciation  of  the  currency,  and 
the  ditHculty  of  collecting  debts.  Duiingthis  period 
of  comparative  leisure  he  devoted  himself  to  scien- 
tific ])ursuits,  for  which  he  had  a  givat  fondness; 
attended  several  courses  of  Medical  lectures;  pub- 
lished numerous  [diilosojdiical  papers;  received, 
July  18,  17s7,  from  Harvard  Univei'sity  the  degree 
of  A.  M. ;  and,  July  20,  1788,  became  Mend)er  and 
Secretary  of  the  Amei'ican  Phil()so])hical  Society,  to 
whose  transactions  he  contril)ute(l  numerous  ))apers. 

He  went  to  England,  Nov.  80,  178i),  for  the  last 
time  to  bring  back  his  family  to  Philadeljihia,  which 
he  selected  as  his  future  Inmie  to  enalde  him  to  l)e 
near  his  earliest,  kindest  and  dearest  friend — Dr. 
Franklin;  but  (ni  his  return  in  August,  1790,  he 
received  the  melancholy  tidings  that  the  great  phi- 
h)sopher  and  eminent  statesman  was  no  more. 

At  "Mount  Pleasant,"  his  beautiful  country  seat 
on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  near  Philadeljdna 
(now  within  the  Fairmount  Park),  suri'oinided  by 
his  interesting  family  and  enjoying  the  respect  of  a 


20     MILITAUV  KDIJCATION  ANU  C'AITSKS  OF  TIIK  WAK. 


1jii'i(<^  Mocial  circle,  lie  devoted  Iiim  time  to  the  duties 
of  Ji  useful  citizeu  aud  tlie  pursuit  of  conireuial 
studies — Matlieinatics,  Pliilosopliy,  Medicine,  Botany 
aud  even  Law;  ac([uirin«2;  enouti:li  of  the  hitter  to 
Hul)se([ueutly  become  a  Judjj^e  of  the  C'ourt  of  ('om- 
mon  Ph^as  in  Phihideljdiia. 

In  his  various  voya_a^es  lie  had  noticed  that  the 
thermometer  fell  when  the  vessel  approached  sound- 
ini^s,  either  over  a  Lank  or  on  the  coast.  It  occuri'ed 
to  him  that  this  would  be  a  certain  protection  at  the 
trifling  expense  of  a  nautical  thermometer.  After 
repeating  his  exi)eriments  many  times,  he  was  sat- 
isfied that  the  temperature  of  the  sea  over  banks  was 
colder  than  the  main  ocean  in  the  inv^erse  ratio  to 
the  depth.  The  importance  of  this  discovery  he  set 
forth  before  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
Nov.  19,  1790,  subsequently  publishing  his  paper  in  a 
small  volume,  entitled  "  Thermometrical  Navigation." 

He  accompanied,  in  1794,  the  forces  to  quell  the 
western  insurrection  in  Pennsylvania ;  and,  under  the 
act  of  Feb.  23,  1795,  he  held  provisionally,  from 
April  28  to  May  28,  1800,  the  position  of  Purveyor 
of  Public  Supplies,  "vvhose  duty,  under  the  direction 
and  supervision  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasiir}', 
was  "  to  conduct  the  procuring  and  providing  of  all 
arms,  military  and  naval  stores,  provisions,  clothing, 
Indian  goods,  and,  generally,  all  articles  of  supply 
requisite  for  the  service  of  the  United  States." 

President  Adams  appointed  Williams,  Feb,  16, 
1801,  a  Major  in  the  Second  Regiment  of  Artillerists 
and  Engineers,  and  on  Dec.  14th  following.  President 
Jefferson,  under  the  act  of  March  3,  1799,  commis- 


iuir<).-(jKM;ijAr.  .ionatii.w  wii,i,iams. 


21 


sioned  liini  Inspector  of  Fortifications.  In  tlie  sum- 
nier  of  1801,  Willijiins  made  a  tour  of  insjtcction 
along  tlie  Oliio  River  from  Pittsljui'g  to  Cantonment 
Massac  (eleven  miles  helou'  the  mouth  of  the  Ten- 
nessee); and,  as  ordered  while  making  this  tour  of 
inspection,  went  to  West  Point  and  assumed  com- 
man<l,  Dec.  15,  1801,  of  the  embryo  Military  School 
which  jM'eceded  the  present  Military  Academy. 

Mr.  Jefferson  (with  John  Adams  and  Henjamin 
Fi'anklin)  one  of  the  U.  S.  Conunissioners  to  ne<»:o- 
giate  commercial  treaties  with  Eui'o|)ean  nations,  was 
introduced  at  Paris,  in  1784, to  Williams,  then  an  agent 
of  the  ?\irmers-(Teneral  of  France  at  St.  Germain-en- 
Laye.  This  ac([uaintance  ripened  into  nuitual  a])pre- 
ciation  and  esteem,  and  a  consefpience  was,  tliat 
when  Jefferson  became  President  of  the  United  States, 
he  transferred,  A])ril  1,  1802,  Major  AVilliams  to  the 
head  of  the  (^u'ps  of  Fjigineers  created  by  the 
recent  law  of  March  1(5,  1802,  in  which  it  was  pro- 
vided that  the  Principal  Engineer  should  have  the 
Superintendence  of  the  Militaiy  Academy.  On  the 
8th  July,  following,  he  was  promoted  to  be  Lieut.- 
Colonel. 

It  was  truly  fortunate  iov  the  Military  Academy 
that  its  first  Su[)erintendeut  was  such  a  man  as  Major 
Williams,  with  the  ripe  experience  of  fifty-two  years 
of  an  eventful  life;  with  the  patriot  instincts  of 
his  Revolutionary  sire ;  with  a  mind  liberally  edu- 
cated and  stored  with  much  scientific  and  general 
information ;  with  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer  which 
had  done  good  service  in  our  struggle  for  independ- 
ence ;   with   a  judgment   matured  by  a  mercantile 


22     MILITARY  EDUCATION  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR. 


iiitercoui'se  abroad  and  liigli  social  position  at  liome ; 
with  great  decision  of  character  and  nntii-ing  zeal  in 
the  public  service  ;  and  withal  a  most  kind  and  ])()]- 
ished  gentleman  and  a  l^rave  and  chivalric  soldier. 
To*  such  pledges  for  success  in  his  impoi-tant  com- 
mand, he  added  industry,  exactness,  patience  and  be- 
nevolence ;  hence  under  his  eminent  example  the 
Academy  quickly  received  tone  and  character,  stead- 
ily advanced  in  discij^line  and  usefulness,  and  brought 
forth  golden  fruit  in  its  distinguished  graduates. 

Major  AVilliams  assumed  his  new  command, 
May  13,  1802,  but  did  not  take  up  his  residence  at 
West  Point  till  July  3d  following.  Mean^vhile,  in 
various  connnunications  to  the  Secretary  (►f  AVar  and 
others,  he  presented  his  views  of  the  object  and  \\ants 
of  tlie  projected  Academy.  He  reconunended  tlie  pur- 
chase of  the  best  military  and  scientific  books;  the 
procuring  of  })hilos()phical  and  other  apparatus;  the 
enn)loyment  of  artificers  to  make  models;  the  detnil 
of  soldiers  for  general  ^vork ;  and  pro[)osed  brief 
regulations  for  conducting  studies,  for  occupancy  of 
existing  ])uildings,  and  for  the  command  of  the  insti- 
tution and  post  of  West  Point — the  headtpiarters  of 
the  Corps  of  Engineers  which,  luuler  the  law  of 
March  16,  1802,  constituted  the  "Military  Academy." 

Under  Majo)'  Williams,  as  Su]Hrintendent,  the 
Military  Academy  was  formally  ojiened  for  insti-uc- 
tion  July  4,   1802,   with  nine   Cadets* — Joseph  G. 


■/> 


''fi 


■m 


*  Cadet  literally  means  a  younger  l)rother  ;  in  France  a  young  volunteer 
without  pay  and  not  enrolled,  to  whom  a  discharge  cannot  be  refused  ; 
In  Spain,  a  junior  volunteer  oincor  ;  m  England  and  the  United  States  a 
student  in  a  military  school  preparing  to  be  fitted  for  a  commissioned  officer 


4 
It 

i 


-S 


'f 


3 


BRI(K-(tENEUAL   JOXATIIAN    WILLIAMS. 


28 


Swift,  Joseph  Proveaux,  Simon  M.  Levy,  Ileiirv  B. 
Jackson,  Samuel  Gates,  William  (rates,  A\'alker  K. 
Armistead,  John  Lillie  and  John  Livingston — all  of 
whf)m,  exoe[)t  the  h>st,  had  been  a})j)ointed  prioi-  to 
the  law  of  March  lO,  1802,  which  authorized  ten 
Cadets  of  enijineers  and  forty  of  artillery.  The 
Superintendent  was  without  any  military  staff,  and 
there  w^ere  only  two  teachers — Ca])tains  AMlliam  x\m- 
herst  Barron  and  Jared  Mansfield  of  the  Cor])s  of 
Engineers — l)oth  giving  instruction  in  Mathematics, 
the  former  in  the  line  of  geometrical,  the  latter  in 
that  of  algebraic  demonstration. 

Witli  these  slight  a])])liances,  instruction  was 
necessarily  much  circumscribed  ;  but  AVilliams  aspired 
to  something  higher  than  those  feeble  beginnings,  as 
a})i>ears  from  one  of  his  letters  to  an  Engineer  ofticei", 
in  AVashington,  in  which  lie  says :  "  Li  your  conver- 
sations with  the  Secretary  of  ^Yar  pi*ay  impress  upon 
liis  mind  the  importance  of  making  any  candidate 
for  a  commission  serve  some  time  as  a  Cadet,  and 
then  give  proof  of  his  merit  before  lie  is  promoted. 
*  *  *  Young  men  who  care  for  nothing  ])ut  the 
extei'ior  of  an  officer,  have  no  ])usiness  among  us. 
In  all  your  conversations  with  the  Secretary  never 
lose  sight  of  our  leading  xtdr,  which  is  not  a  little 
mathematical  school,  but  a  gi'eat  National  Establish- 
i»ient  to  turn  out  characters  which  in  the  course  of 
time  shall  e([ual  any  in  Europe.  *  *  *  We  must 
always  have  it  in  mind  that  our  officers  are  to  be 
men  of  science,  and  such  as  will  by  theii'  ac<piire- 
ments  be  entitled  to  the  ii(>tice  of  learned  societies. 
Could  we  arrive  at  such  a  state  before  the  present 


24     MILITAUY  P:DUCATI0N  and  causes  of  the  WAll. 


peace  is  disturbed,  we  may  defy  foreign  invaders  of 
all  nations." 

AVitli  a  few  Cadets  and  the  addition  by  law  of  a 
Teacher  of  French  and  Drawing,  the  institution 
struggled  on  in  its  end)ryonic  condition  till  the 
beginning  of  the  academical  session  in  April,  1808. 
Up  to  this  time  a  Company  of  Artillery  had  been 
stationed  at  AVest  Point  to  guard  public  property 
stored  there  after  the  Revolution.  Between  the 
Captain  commanding  this  Company  and  the  Super- 
intendent of  the  Military  Academy  (piestions  of 
authority  had  ai'isen  which  continued  till  May  21, 
1808,  when  Captain  Izard  ^vas  ordered  to  Norfolk, 
Va.,  leaving,  however,  a  detachment  of  his  Company 
luider  Lieut.  Osborne,  thereby  lessening  but  not 
removing  the  cause  of  irritation  between  the  com- 
mander of  the  troops  and  that  of  the  Academy. 

Lieut.-Colonel  AVilliams,  whose  duties  as  Chief 
Engineer  had  taken  him  to  North  Carolina  to  inspect 
the  Coast  Defences,  on  his  return  through  A\  ashing- 
ton,  in  an  interview  with  the  Secretary  of  AVar  to 
whom  he  had  submitted  the  question  of  the  rights 
of  his  command  at  AA^est  Point,  found  liis  authority 
over  the  troops  would  not  be  sustained  by  General 
Dearborn,  then  at  the  head  of  the  AVar  Department, 
whereupon,  ^vitllout  a  moment's  hesitation,  he  threw 
uj)  his  connnission,  by  which  the  Cori)s  of  Engineers 
lost  its  efficient  Chief,  his  officers  their  adored  father, 
and  the  Military  Academy  its  devoted  and  distin- 
guished Superintendent. 

In  his  letter  of  resignation  of  June  20,  1803,  he 
says : 


^ll 


BKIG.-GENEUAL    JOXATHAX    WILLIAMS. 


25 


3,  he 


"Notliinu:  is  more  orratifvinii:  to  my  mind  than  tlie 
])nrsuit  of  scientific  o])jects,  and  tlie  station  I  was 
placed  in,  by  tlie  partiality  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  gave  me  the  pleasing  hope  that  my 
future  life  would  he  so  employed  as  at  once  to  pro- 
duce the  best  effect  to  my  country  that  I  am  cajiable 
of,  in  the  manner  the  most  pleasing  to  my  taste  and 
disposition. 

"  The  answer  you  liave  just  been  pleased  to  make 
to  cei-tain  points,  which  I  had  the  honor  of  submit- 
ting to  you  })revious  to  my  going  to  North  Carolina, 
gives  me  the  painful  certainty  that  I  can  no  longer 
hold  my  commission  without  a  sense  of  humiliation 
which  would  not  only  render  me  contemptible  in  my 
own  eyes,  but  totally  destroy  every  shade  of  respect- 
ability with  the  ofiicers  of  the  Corps  I  conunand. 

"I  hope,  sir,  that  notwithstanding  this  difference 
of  oj)inion,  you  will  represent  me  to  the  President 
in  the  most  res])ectful  terms,  and  believe  that  I  am 
not  infiuenced  by  any  other  motive  than  what  I  have 
stated." 

The  next  day  the  Secretary  urged  Lieut.-Colonel 
Williams  not  to  resign,  but  as  there  was  no  chance 
in  the  Secretary's  views,  he  adhered  to  his  resolution 
and  soon  after  took  up  his  residence  at  Perth  Am- 
boy,  N.  J. 

The  ])oints  alluded  to  in  Lieut.-Colonel  Williams' 
letter  of  resignati<m,  were  in  substance :  That  engi- 
neer officers  have  the  same  military  authority,  accord- 
ing to  rank,  as  officers  <  >f  any  other  corps ;  that  two 
independent  military  commands  cannot  exist  at  the 
same  post,  and  West  Point  being  by  law  declared  to 


■^ 


26     MILITARY   EDUCATION  AND  CAUSP:s  OF  TIIK  WAR. 

be  the  station  of  the  Encfiiieers,  the  cliief  of  that 
Corps,  when  of  highei"  grade,  nmst  command  eveiy- 
thing   at  that  post ;    tliat    the   aiitliority  to    arrest 


officers   and   confine   sokliers   bekjiigs  to 


Engineers 


in  like  circumstances  as  to  other  officei's ;  tliat  a 
senior  Engineer  could  not  be  refpiired  to  accept  the 
l)arole  or  countersign  from  an  inferior  officer  of  any 
other  Corps;  and  that  the  proceedings  of  a  Court 
Martial  ought  not  to  be  submitted  to  the  revision  of 
any  officer  inferior  in  rank  to  the  highest  engineer 
sitting  on  that  court.  On  these  issues  the  Secretary's 
opinion  was,  in  eifect,  that,  notwithstanding  the 
General-in-Chief  had  just  i)laced  Major  Wadsworth 
of  the  Engineers  in  command  of  the  post  and  gar- 
rison of  Ft)rt  Adams  in  the  Mississijipi  Teri'itory,  no 
military  command  should  be  attached  to  any  officer 
of  Engineers,  asserting  tliat  this  principle  was  in 
accordance  with  general  usage  and  the  practice 
during  our  llevolutionary  war. 

The  Secretary's  principle  is  certainly  not  to  be 
found  in  the  law  of  March  16,  1802,  organizing  a 
Corps  of  Engineers  to  consist  of  officers  of  various 
grades  with  fixed  ranh,  pay  and  emoluments,  and 
with  commissions  from  the  President  stj'ictly  charging 
all  officers  and  soldiers  under  their  command  to  be 
obedient  to  their  orders.  Certainly  it  was  never 
denied  that  the  officers  of  the  Corps  of  Aiiillerists 
and  Engineers,  under  the  old  peace  establishment, 
were  entitled  to  command  according  to  seniority  of 
rank,  equally  with  the  officers  of  infantry  or  cavalry, 
and  why,  by  the  separation  of  the  Corps  into  two 
distinct   coi'ps — one    of    engineers   and    another   of 


•3 


an< 

f(.i 

on 

Ai-i 

the 


BRIO.-GENERAL    JOXATHAX    WTLLIA.AIS. 


27 


be 


mg  a 


to  be 
never 
erists 
iment, 
tyof 
vaby, 
o  two 
ler   of 


1 


.>s 


rJS 


artillery — all  the  aiitliority  should  be  transferred  to 
<^ne  set  of  offieers  and  none  to  tlie  other,  cannot  be 
conceived,  for  the  new  organization  was  but  a 
separation  of  artillerists  from  engineers. 

Tlie  President  was  not  empowered  to  /'(t/.sc  but 
to  oir/inuze  a  Corps  of  Engineers,  as  was  ^vell  under- 
stood, by  the  transfer  of  suitalde  officers  to  it  from 
the  old  Cor])s  of  Artillerists  and  Engineers.  In  fact 
all  were  transfei'red  witli  theii*  orii^-inal  dates  of  com- 
mission,  proving  tlie  new  Cor]is  of  Artillerists  and 
the  new  Coi'ps  of  Engineei's  to  be  <mly  a  v<)iiti)iK- 
at  Ion,  in  separate  branches,  of  the  old  Coips  of 
Artillerists  and  Engineers.  Certaiidy  officers  trans- 
ferred to  the  Engineers  felt  at  the  time  elevated,  not 
(leg faded  in  rank  and  authoi-ity,  or  they  would  have 
lemained  in  their  former  Cor])s. 

That  engineers  have  and  can  successfully  com- 
mand troops  is  attested  by  the  practice  of  foreign 
nations  as  well  as  our  own.  In  our  day  we  have 
seen  in  connnand  of  corps  and  armies  sucli  well 
known  engineers  as  Cavaignac,  LaMoriciere,  Niel 
and  Valliant  in  Fi'ance;  Gordon  in  China;  Omer 
Pasha  in  the  Crimean  War;  Napier  in  Al)yssinia ; 
and  Todleben,  recently  at  the  head  of  the  Russian 
foi'ces  in  Turkey.  During  the  late  Civil  A\'ar,  out  of 
our  small  ])odv  of  Euijfineei's  eleven  commanded 
Army  Coi'[)s,  five  each  an  Army  during  a  portion  of 
the  war,  and  many  commanded  Divisions,  Briirades 
and  Uegiments ;  wliile  on  tlie  Confederate  side  three 
engineers,  Lee,  Johnston  and  Beauregard,  com- 
manded iijreat  Armies. 

Without  a  proper  head   the  Military  Academy 


28      MILITARY  EDUCATIOX  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR. 


was  fast  going  to  destruction,  and  the  only  hope  of 
restoring  it  was  to  induce  Williams  to  return  to  his 
old  position.  An  engineer  officer  writing  to  him,  Oct.  9, 
1804,  says  :  "  Never  was  West  Point  so  much  in  want 
of  you  as  at  this  moment.  Everything  is  going  to 
ruin.  Morals  and  knowledo-e  thrive  little  and  courts 
martial  and  flc)gging  prev  iil.  Tlie  Military  Academy, 
instead  of  being  the  seat  of  knowledge  and  the  place 
of  application,  is  fast  turning  into  that  of  ignorance 
and  idleness.  However,  I  shall  drop  the  subject,  as 
I  know  it  must  be  ])ainful  to  you."  Other  officers 
of  Engineers  saw  this  same  deplorable  condition  of 
things  and  earnestly,  by  interviews  and  letters, 
entreated  Williams  to  return  to  service.  Headed  by 
Major  Wadsworth,  the  senior  officer,  they  went  so 
far,  N<^v.  5,  1804,  as  to  pro[)ose  a  direct  appeal  to  the 
President  in  relation  to  the  points  in  controversy 
which  had  occasioned  Lieut.-Colonel  Williams'  resiu- 
nation.  There  is  no  doubt  the  Secretary  of  War  had 
discovered  his  error  ;  but  pride  forbade  his  confessing 
it.  Soon  after,  however,  January,  1805,  by  placing 
Lieut.  Swift,  of  the  Engineers,  in  command  of  the 
post  and  artillery  garrison  at  Fort  Johnston,  N.  C,  he 
yielded  the  point  at  issue  to  a  Subaltern  which  he  had 
denied  to  the  Chief,  for  whose  return  to  service  both 
he  and  the  President  in  many  ways  clearly  mani- 
fested their  sincere  desire.  General  Wilkinson,  the 
General-in-Chief,  who  had  been  most  zealous  in  the 
good  work,  wrote  to  Lieut.-Colonel  Williams :  "  I  can 
report  nothing  more  than  that  I  know  both  the 
President  and  Secretary  wish  you  to  resume  your 
commission ;  but  there  are  delicacies  on  both  sides 


I 


■n 


til 


IV 


BRrG.-(JKNEKAL    JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


29 


in  the 
"  I  can 
til  the 
e  vour 
sides 


^t 


I 


which  I  shuU  hi])()i'  to  accommodate."     The  folhnving 
manly  letter  from  Lieut.-Colonel  Williams  to  General 


Wilkinson,  dated  Jan.  5, 1 805,  best  expresses  his  views. 
*  *  *  a  J  l^iiQy^y  yonr  sentiments  with  respect  to 
the  rights  of  the  engineers,  and  were  yonr  power 
e([nal  to  ycmr  disposition  to  do  them  justice,  I  would 
have  no  hesitation  in  su})mitling  everything  respect- 
ing myself  to  you ;  but  there  is  a  consistency  of 
character  which  I  can  by  no  means  consent  to  forfeit, 
and  therefore,  if  I  enter  the  army  again,  it  nuist  be 
with  the  full  a]^])robatioii  of  the  government,  and 
with  a  certainty  tliat  my  situation  will  be  rendered 
e(|ually  honorable  and  pei'inanent.  *  *  *  How 
has  it  happened  that  the  Corps  of  Engineers  sliould 
be  degraded  below  the  other  j)arts  of  the  armv  ?  If 
it  ^vas  worth  organizing,  it  was  surely  worth  \vhile 
to  have  more  of  some  sentiment  of  honor  to  com- 
pose it ;  but  how  can  this  ever  be  the  case  where  they 
are  exposed  to  be  pointed  at  by  the  slow-moving 
finger  of  scorn  ^vhic]l  must  inevitably  follow  the 
])resent  humiliating  system  ?  A  slight,  but  candid 
revision  of  the  situation  of  the  Corps,  since  this 
unfortunate  question  was  first  agitated,  must  evince 
the  impossibility  of  its  ever  being  reputably  filled 
unless  its  rights  are  restored  to  it.  Major  Wads- 
worth  avowedlv  remains  only  because  he  has  not  at 
present  other  resources,  and  is  taking  measures  to 
enable  him  to  resign.*  Captain  Mansfield  has  ob- 
tained a  more  lucrative  oflice,  and  Captain  Barron 
has  assured  me  that  the  same  reason  induces  liim  to 

*  Resigned  February,  1805, 


30     MILITARY  EDUCATION  AM)  CAl'SES  OK  TlIK  U  AU. 


remain,  and  is  looking  out  for  some  other  means  of 
support,  and  there  are  no  ap[)licants  for  engineer 
commissions.  How  can  /eal  be  ex})ected  from  men 
who,  Hke  tlie  apothecary  in  Romeo  and  Juliet  confess 
tlieir  '  j)overty,  not  their  will  consents '  i  This  thing 
is  so  unaccountahle  and  so  extraordinary  that  it 
seems  to  me  like  a  dream,  althousj^h  it  is  eiLditeen 
months  since  the  reality  foi'ced  me  out  of  the  Corps. 
Were  I  to  judge  from  tlie  i)ersonal  de])ortment  and 
verbal  expressions  of  the  Secretary  of  AVar,  before 
the  last  and  decisive  interview,  I  sliouhl  Inxve  suj). 
posed  the  Cor[)s  of  Engineers  to  have  been  in  his 
estimation  the  most  important  part  of  the  army, 
which  he  was  disposed  to  cherish  to  the  utmost  in 
his  po\\'er.  The  President  expressed  himself  in  rela- 
tion to  tlie  Corps  in  terms  not  merely  })olite,  ])ut  of 
the  most  friendly  description.  Where  then  is  the 
cause  of  this  change  i  I  cannot  charge  it  to  any 
conduct  of  mine,  because  that,  especially  in  the  last 
piece  of  duty,  appeared  to  be  fully  approved.  Can 
it  be  owing  to  any  jealousy  in  the  other  pai'ts  of  the 
army  i  I  think  not,  for  all  the  officers  I  know  are 
completely  of  my  opinion,  and  cmi'  friend.  Adjutant 
General  Gushing,  seemed  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  a 
line  might  be  ado))ted  pei-fectly  agreeable  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  AV  ar  and  me.  What  that  line  is  he  per- 
liajjs  may  toll  you,  but  1  know  it  not  unless  it  l)e 
what  I  have  stated." 

To  this  letter  Gen.  Wilkinson  replied,  jNIarch  29, 
1805  :  "I  am  authorized  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
inform  yoii,  that  if  agreeable  to  you,  tlie  President 
will  reappoint  you  to  the  command  of  the  Cor2)s  of 


:.i\ 
.'■i 


""^ 


BRKi.-OKNintAL    JOXATIIAN    WILLIAMS. 


31 


1   '^M 
ill"  to 

(lent 
ps  of 


En<niieers  on  tlie  express  condition  tliat  you  are  not 
to  intei-fere  with  tlie  (lis{'i])line,  ])oli('e  or  command 
of  the  troops  of  the  line  ])ut  by  his  oniers,  to  which 
alone  you  are  to  he  subject,  and  that  in  all  other 
respects  you  are  to  enjoy  the  honors  due  to  your 
rank. 

"Sh(mld  this  proposition  be  acceptable  to  you, 
you  will  be  pleased  to  signify  your  disposition  to  the 
Secretary  of  \\\ar  without  delay,  and  in  such  explicit 
terms  as  may  preclude  misapprehension. 

"The  President  is  now  at  Monticello,  Liit  will  be 
here  abo\it  the  8th  of  next  month,  at  which  time, 
should  it  be  agreeable  to  you,  you  may  make  a  visit 
to  the  city  in  order  to  pay  your  respects  to  our 
superior. 

"  Permit  me,  sir,  to  add  my  earnest  hopes  that  you 
may  not  pause  for  a  determination  in  this  case, 
V)ecause  I  am  convinced  you  will  stand  acquitted  by 
every  professional  man  of  intelligence  and  honor, 
should,  you  embrace  the  j)roposition.  It  is  unques- 
tionable that  the  elevated  pursuits  of  the  Corps  du 
Genie  do  not  allow  time  for  the  necessary  attention 
to  the  details,  police,  and  discipline  of  the  lin^,  and 
it  follows,  as  in  other  services,  that  the  officers  of 
that  Corps  should  not  be  burthened  with  the  respon- 
sibility attached  to  duties  in  their  nature  incompati- 
ble. But  admitting  the  practice  of  other  nations  to 
be  at  variance  with  our  own,  if  the  United  States 
are  ackno\v'ledged  to  be  sovereign  and  independent, 
we  cannot  deny  to  the  regular  authority  powers  and 
capacities  to  ordain  such  subordinate  arrangements  as 
DLiy  be  deemed  conducive  to  the  public  weal,  and  it 


[\2      MILITAIIY  KDITATION   AND  CAISKS  Ot   TUK  WAR. 


is  the  duty  of  every  good  citizen  to  conform,  wlien 
Hucli  conformity  does  not  aifect  his  lionoi'.  In  tlie 
case  before  us,  the  suspension  of  ex-official  command 
is  deemed  essential  to  tlie  interests  of  a  ])articidar 
corps,  but  no  subversion  of  inhci-ent  jn'inciples  or 
fundamental  right  takes  effect,  because  f/on  are  held 
liahJe  to  general  command  upoti  the  orders  of  the 
President. 

"  I  beg  to  hear  from  you  soon,  and  I  liope  to  my 
satisfaction.  You  owe  much  to  the  partiality  of  the 
President,  more  to  tlie  claims  of  your  country." 

Major  Macond^  of  the  Engineers,  subsecpiently 
General-in-Chief,  in  a  private  letter  of  April  2,  1805, 
ex[)resses  the  desires  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers: 
*  *  *  "  It  is  the  wish,  I  ani  ])ersuade(l,  of  the 
officers  of  the  Corps.  You  have  had  assurances 
enouiih  of  their  attachment  and  I  feel  confident  that 
you  are  interested  in  their  welfare,  and  I  believe  it 
no  ilattery  when  I  tell  you  that  their  resj)ectability 
as  a  corps  and  their  future  prosperity  depend  almost 
entirely  on  your  return.  Feeling  satisfied  that  you 
cannot  resist  the  call  of  your  country  and  the  solici- 
tations, of  yoiu'  own  Corps  to  take  your  former 
station,  I  am,  etc." 

This  correspondence  led  to  the  General-in-Chief  s 
official  order  of  A])ril  17,  1805,  as  follows : 

"As  the  scientific  ^<ursuits  of  the  Corps  of  En- 
gineers do  not  allow  time  for  attention  to  details, 
police,  and  discipline  of  the  troops  of  the  line,  it 
follows,  as  in  other  services,  that  the  officers  of  that 
coi-ps  should  not  be  burthened  with  the  responsi- 
bility attached  to  duties  in  their  nature  incom})atible. 


■I 


BUIO.-OENERAL    JONATHAN    WILT,IAMS. 


88 


^' 


"The  President  lias  tlioui^lit  ])r<»])er  to  decide 
that  the  ofticeis  of  the  KiiijineerH  shall  not  intei'fere 
with  the  disci[)line,  ])oliee,  or  command  of  the  troo])H 
of  the  line  unless  by  his  sj^ecial  order,  to  whicli  alone 
they  ai'e  subject. 

"  But  this  sus])ension  of  official  command,  though 
deemed  essential  to  the  interests  of  a  ])articular 
cor])s,  does  not  subvert  any  iidierent  principle,  or 
fundamental  rijj^ht,  ])ecause  the  supei'ior  officers  of 
Enjjfineers  are  held  liable  to  be  called  into  general 
command  whenever  the  ]nddic  service  may  require, 
and  the  will  of  the  President  direct. 

"  In  all  cases  not  aft'ected  by  this  regulation,  the 
officers  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers  are  invariably  to 
enjoy  the  respect  due  to  their  commissions  ;  and  they 
are  to  receive  the  same  honors  ^vhich  are  i)aid  to 
officers  of  similai-  grade  in  the  line  of  the  Army." 

Lieut.-Colonel  Williams  accepted,  Ajnil  It),  1805, 
the  re-a])pointment  of  Chief  Engineer,  and  writes  to 
the  Secretary  of  War:  "In  answer  to  the  obliging 
information  vou  have  given  me  in  the  connnand  of 
the  Cor])s  of  Engineers,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  you 
that  this  honorable  mark  of  favoi-  has  made  a  deep 
imju'ession  on  me,  and  it  is  with  heart-felt  gratitude 
that  I  again  offer  to  devote  my  life  to  the  service  of 
my  country.  I  hope  and  trust  that  the  President 
will  permit  me  to  resume  my  old  commission  in  the 
same  manner  as  if  it  had  never  been  resigned.  It 
must  be  evident  to  him  that  I  never  had  a  wish  to 
(piit  the  service,  and  that  the  circimistances  by  which 
I  was  influenced,  although  arising  out  of  misapju'e- 
hension,  ai)})eared  to  me  paramount  to  my  own  will. 


34     MILITAKY   KDrCATlOiV   AM)  CAISKS  OF    IIIK  WAR. 


The  explanation  wliicli  lia-^  taken  ]»la('(»  lias  put  the 
subject  on  u  correct  t'ootini;,  whicli  will  not  in  future 
tuhnit  of  mistake,  and  it  is  my  wish  so  to  come  into 
service  au^ain  that  the  whole  mi^dit  l)e  hnried  in 
oblivion." 

I )urin_i]^  the  twenty-two  months  that  Lieut.-Colonel 
Williams  had  been  out  of  service  neither  the  Mili- 
tary Academy  nor  the  Coi'])s  of  Enifineers  proo;ressed 
one  step.  In  that  interval  but  two  cadets  had  been 
graduated  ;  "  not  a  cadet's  ^varrant  was  applied  for  " 
says  the  best  authority ;  and,  of  the  dozen  who 
entered  the  Academy,  half  the  appointments  had 
probably  been  previously  promised,  and  the  other 
half  were  from  the  newly  acfjuired  Territory  of 
Louisiana,  perliaps  more  ostensibly  to  mark  Pi-esi- 
dent  Jefferson's  important  purchase,  April  13,  1803, 
of  that  magnificent  domain. 

Immediately  upon  Lieut.-Colonel  Williams  being 
notified,  Ajml  22,  1805,  of  his  re-appointment,  he 
repaired  to  West  Point  and  assumed  command  of  the 
Military  Academy.  At  (mce  he  vigorously  applied 
himself  to  much  needed  reforms,  the  details  of  Avhich 
more  properly  belong  to  tlie  liistory  of  the  Military 
Academy. 

Notwithstanding:  his  o-reat  industry  and  zealous 
devotion  to  the  wants  of  that  institution,  AVilliams, 
as  the  head  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  was  necessa- 
rily much  of  his  time  attending  to  professional 
duties,  pai-ticularly  the  construction  of  the  defenses 
of  New  York  harbor,  of  which  he  took  jjersonal 
charge.  During  his  absence  from  West  Point  the 
temporary  command  of  the  Academy  devolved  upon 


I'M 
% 


m 


IMtlfi.-fJK.VKKAr.    .TOXATIIAX    WILLIAMS. 


.^r> 


tile  senior  eiii^ineer  |)reseiit,  \vli(»  did  not  prove  com- 
jK'tt'iit  f'oi"  that  responsil)!*^  diiiy. 

Our  f(H('iii;ii  relations  were  sucli,  in  ISOT,  that  tlie 
State  of  New  York  was  unwiliinL;;  to  trust  tlie  safety 
of  liei- ij^reat  eonnnercial  capital  to  the  snndl  aj)])ro- 
pi'iations  <i;ranted  by  Coui^ress.  Fortitieations  conse- 
(jueiitly  \vere  autliori/ed  to  be  eivcted  on  Stateii 
Island  for  tlie  defense  of  "the  Narrows."  The 
authorities  haviiii:;  i^reat  conHdenee  in  Lieut.-(\)lonel 
W  illianis,  (tlieii  superintend inii,'  the  inner  defenses  of 
the  harl)or  of  New  York,)  as  a  man  of  solid  learninic, 
sound  Judgment,  and  possessini,^  a  practical  knowl- 
edufe  of  the  military  ai*t,  selected  him  to  ])lan  and 
conduct  their  works  (Foi'ts  Richmond  and  Toni])- 
kins).  So  devoted  was  he  to  those  duties,  which 
consumed  most  of  liis  time,  that  the  Freedom  of  the 
City  of  New  York  was  bestowed  ujx^n  him  by  the 
Coi"j)oration,  Aug.  1,  1807,  "in  consideration  of  his 
important  services  in  protectiuiz;  and  fortifyinii;  said 
city."  Subse(]uently,  Governor  Daniel  1).  Tompkins 
of  New  Y<>rk  sent  a  larii:e  check  to  Lieut.-Colonel  AVil- 
Hams  in  a  very  complimentary  letter,  saying  :  "  Your 
services  to  the  State  are  not  only  viewed  by  me,  but 
also  by  the  Legislature,,  in  the  most  thankful  man- 
ner." Perhaps  it  is  uimecessary  to  add  that  the 
check  was  politeh^  returned  by  the  noble-minoid 
recipient. 

AVilliams  \\ith  great  vigor  pressed  forward  these 
defenses  of  New  York  harbor,  for  to  his  mind  war 
was  inevitable,  and  not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost  in 
providing  for  the  protection  of  our  great  commercial 
capital. 


36     MILITARY  EDUCATION  AND  CAT'Sp:s  OF    TIIK  W'AK. 


The  Treaty  of  Pai'is,  of  1788,  ])\  wliicli  our  inde- 
pendence was  acknowled<]:;ed  by  tlie  niothei"  ooiintry, 
wa8  virhially  a  truce,  not  a  peace.  The  Revolution 
had  effected  our  political  emancipation  and  proved 
our  capacity  for  self-defense ;  but  our  moral,  physical 
and  mental  independence  were  yet  to  be  achieved, 
and  the  strength  of  republican  and  confederate 
nationality  demonstrated.  Wearied  Avith  war,  ^ve 
had  continued,  from  the  termiiiation  of  our  se\'en 
years'  struggle,  to  practice  patient  forbearance  under 
the  pressure  of  accumulated  wrongs.  Great  Britain, 
still  our  bitter  enemy,  had  violated  lier  plighted 
faith  by  retaining  the  American  posts  upon  the 
northern  frontier ;  her  voice  was  loud  along  the 
border  continually  inciting  the  Indian  savages  to 
war  upon  us  ;  our  commerce  was  the  prey  of  her 
cruisers  and  privateers  ;  our  merchant  vessels  were 
searched  and  our  native  sailors  impressed  upon  the 
high  seas ;  our  trade  and  navigation  became  tlie 
sport  of  her  cupidity  and  assumption ;  and  tlie 
enormity  of  her  paper  blockades  was  exceeding  all 
bounds.     The  British  order  in  council  of  May  16, 

1806,  declared  the  whole  French  coast  in  a  state  of 
l)lockade  ;  an  order  which  Napoleon  retaliated  by  his 
l^erlin  decree  of  Nov.  21,  1806,  declaring  the  block- 
ade of  the  British  Islands ;  and  this  latter  was 
answered  by  another  oi'der  of  the  former,  January  7, 

1807,  prohibiting  all  coast-trade  with  France.  Great 
numbers  of  our  vessels,  under  these  op})re8sive 
orders  and  decrees,  were  seized  by  the  cruisers  of 
both  belligerents  and  (Uir  lucrative  neutral  commerce 
was  nearly  destroyed.      British  ships  of   war  hov- 


■Tsr 


BRIG.-GEXERAL   JONATHAN    WILLIAMS. 


37 


lited 
the 
tlie 

3S   to 

her 
were 
1  tlie 
the 
the 


'■4 


ered,  in  warlike  disphiy,  n})oii  our  coasts;  blockaded 
our  ports  ;  penetrated  our  bays  and  rivers  ;  anchored 
in  our  liarbors  ;  tlireatened  our  cities  and  towns  witli 
conflagration  ;  and  even  tired  upon  the  unprotected 
inliabitants  of  our  shores.  The  ])ul)lic  mind  was 
liiglily  incensed  by  these  gross  violations  of  our 
neuti'ality;  but  the  climax  of  insolence  was  readied, 
June  22,  1807,  in  the  ever  memorable  attack  of  the 
ship  Leopard  of  iifty  guns,  under  countenance  of 
the  British  scpiadron  anchored  witliin  American 
waters,  upon  the  United  States  frigate  Chesapeake, 
by  which  twenty-one  men  Avere  killed  or  wounded. 
The  President,  by  proclamation,  interdicted  our 
harbors  and  waters  to  all  British  armed  vessels, 
forbade  intercourse  with  them,  and  demanded  imme- 
diate rei)aration  for  this  lasc  high-handed  outrage ; 
but  not  till  fom-  years  after  did  the  tardy  atonement 
C(^me.  Anotlier  order  in  council  was  issued,  Nov.  11, 
1807,  forbidding  neuti'al  vessels  to  enter  French 
harbors  \intil  they  had  previously  stopped  at  a 
British  port  and  paid  duties  on  their  cargoes.  Na- 
]>oleon,  not  to  be  outdone,  answered,  Dec.  17,  1807, 
]>v  his  famous  Mijan  decree,  confiscatini?  any  vessel 
wliich  shoidd  submit  to  British  search  or  pay  any 
duties  to  his  gn^at  enemy. 

The  United  States  could  no  longer,  with  honoi", 
permit  its  flag  to  be  insulted,  its  citizens  to  ])e 
enslaved,  and  its  ])ropei*ty  to  be  ]>lundered  on  the 
highway  of  nations;  but  placed  between  the  upi)er 
and  nether  millstones  of  two  colossal  powers  and 
unprepared  to  contend  with  either,  Congress,  upon 
the   reconmiendation  of    the    President,  temporized 


M8      MILITAKY  l^DI'CATTOX  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAK. 


by  luyiiisT^  an  eni])arg<),  Dec.  22,  18  u])(>n  all  vessels 
in  American  ])()i'ts,  and  ordered  the  immediate  return 
of  all  our  shipping  afloat. 

This  gloomy  condition  of  things  rendered  it 
manifestly  proper  for  the  Chief  Engineer  to  ask  for 
an  increase  of  his  Corps,  then  composed  of  a  few 
officers  superintending  an  extended  line  of  coast 
defenses;  and  to  subnut,  8e})t.  19,  1807,  a  ])roject  to 
remodel  the  Military  Academy  on  a  scale  connnen- 
surate  with  the  needs  of  the  nation,  placing  its 
direction,  external  and  internal,  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  the  President. 

The  rapid  progress  of  ev^ents  was  fast  culmina- 
ting to  a  crisis.  The  dangers  to  our  country  arising 
from  the  c<mtests  of  other  nations ;  the  ruin  of  our 
conunerce  in  the  Mediterranean  ;  the  (■a])ture  of  our 
vessels  bound  to  the  Baltic,  France  and  Spain ;  the 
violation  of  our  territory ;  the  insults  to  our  people, 
and  the  deixradino;  of  our  character  in  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  world,  roused  the  President  to  ask  Congress, 
Feb.  25,  1808,  for  an  augmentaticui  of  our  militaiy 
force  to  (>,000  regulars  and  24,000  volunteers. 
Ra}>idly  our  situation  grew  more  critical,  and  the 
great  belligerents  seemed  determined  to  tramj)le 
under  foot  the  law  of  nations  and  annihilate  every 
vestige  of  our  neutrality. 

President  Jefferson,  no  loiiijer  doubtini;  the  con- 
stitutionality  of  a  Military  Academy,  sent  to  Con- 
gress, March  18,  1808,  the  i'ollowing  s])ecial  message. 

"The  scale  on  which  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point  was  originally  established  has  become 
too  limited  to  furnish  the  number  of  well-instiiicted 


^w 


BRia-OKXEUAL    JOXATIIAN    WILLIAMS. 


81) 


•iicted 


au])jects  ill  tlie  dift'erent  bi'aiK'lies  of  Artillery  and 
Eii<i:;ineeriii^  wliieli  tlie  servi-je  calls  for.  Tlie  want 
of  sucli  cliaracters  is  already  sensibly  felt,  and  will 
be  increased  with  the  enlar<»;enient  of  onr  plans  of 
military  o})eration.  The  Chief  Eni2:ineer  havino:  been 
instructed  to  consider  the  subject,  and  to  propose  an 
ausi^nientation  which  niig'ht  render  the  establishment 
commensurate  with  the  present  ciivumstances  of  our 
country,  lias  made  the  report  which  I  now  transmit 
for  the  consideration  of  Coiiirress." 

The  report  of  Colonel  Williams  (promoted 
P'eb.  !23,  1808)  referred  to  by  the  President  was  a 
loiiij^  document  narratinii;  the  struo-<2;les  of  the  Military 
Academy  since  its  establishment,  concluding  with 
wise  suggesti<ms  for  its  reorganization  and  inij)rove- 
meiit  to  which  he  had  given  the  l)est  efforts  of  his 
life. 

With  the  new  administrati<>n  of  President  Mad- 
ison, William  Eustis  became,  March  9,  1809,  the 
Secretary  of  War.  Hardly  had  he  been  inducted 
into  office  before  he  began  to  show  his  hostility  to 
the  Military  Academy,  as  his  sul)se(pient  acts  fully 
proved.  He  meant  to  crush  it,  notwithstanding  our 
increasing  dangers  made  it  apparent  that  to  his  hands 
were  entrusted  the  successful  or  disastrous  issues  of 
the  nation's  arms. 

France  had  infringed  her  treaty,  burned  our  \'es- 
sels  on  the  iiigli  seas,  and  subjected  to  ca])ture  our 
commerce  with  her  maritime  foe.  (rreat  Kritain 
continued  to  violate,  our  territory,  depredate  on  our 
conunerce,  impress  our  seamen,  exclude  our  exports 
from  market,  and  subject  to  tribute  the  staples  of 


40     Mn.ITAIiY  EDUCATION  AND  CAUSES  OF  THE  WAIJ. 

our  country.  Eacli  po\ver,  under  pi'etext  of  retalia- 
ting on  us  for  oiu*  alleged  submission  to  the  otlier, 
had  carried  their  injustice  and  violence  beyond  all 
bounds  of  endurance,  and  every  possible  foi'ui  of 
negotiation  having  failed  ^sith  both  belligerents, 
nothing  seemed  left  but  war  to  preserve  our  liberty 
and  honor. 

Secretary  Eustis  began  his  administration  of  the 
War  Department  by  an  effort  to  dlspei'se  the  few 
cadets  at  the  Military  Academy,  degrade  them  to 
coiamon  laborers,  and  deprive  them  of  all  educational 
advantages.  By  mid-sunuuer  of  1810,  he,  by  his 
failui'e  to  make  new  a[)pointments  and  by  his  con- 
stant detail  of  cadets  for  clerks  and  company  duties, 
had  left  so  few  at  West  Point  that  the  Military 
Academy,  except  in  name,  had  virtiudly  ceased  to 
exist ;  and  disci[)line  was  so  palsied  by  his  constant 
intermeddling  that  only  by  the  most  summary  meas- 
ures could  AMlliams  preserve  even  its  semblance. 

Worn  out  by  the  apathy  of  Congress  and  Secre- 
tary Eustis'  criminal  perverseness  and  A'iolation  of 
all  olRcial  com-tesy  and  consideration,  Williams  began 
to  despair.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  of  Sept.  15, 
1810,  he  pours  out  his  heart  in  lamentation  over  the 
noble  institution  founded  by  the  ex-President :  "  I 
wish  I  could  make  use  of  your  voice  to  excite  our 
general  Legislature  to  some  attention  to  the  Military 
Academy.  We  want  military  more  than  any  other 
description  of  talent  *  *  *  and  yet,  strange  to 
tell !  we  are  cold,  chilling  cold,  u])on  every  subject 
relative  to  Military  Instruction.  Nine-tenths  of  Con- 
gress seem  to  me  not  only  ^cold,  but  blind,  stone 


I 


hi 

off 

ail 


|{i;i<;.-(M'.ni:kai-  Jonathan   wiij.ia.ms. 


41 


[iilia- 
tliev, 
il  all 
111  of 
i-ents, 
bei-ty 

•f  the 

e  few 

3111  to 

,tional 

)y  his 

Ls  con- 

tluties, 

ilitary 

Lsed  to 

nistant 

T  meas- 

ice. 
Secre- 
ion  of 
began 
pt.  15, 

ver  the 
"I 
ite  our 

^lilitaiy 
V  other 
inge  to 
subject 
of  Con- 
1,  stone 


l)lin(l,  to  the  true  interests  of  our  nation  on  the  seoiv 
of  its  defense.  I  have  l)een  eiiiraged  eiglit  years  in 
the  eniV)rvo  of  a  military  seniinary  and  have  at  last 
barely  brought  it  into  existenee.  It  lives  indeed,  but, 
in  coni])aiison  to  what  It  ought  to  be,  it  is  i\  puni/, 
rivhefij  chihl. 

"I  am  tired,  my  dear  sir,  heartily  tired;  and 
although  r  never  wished  to  terminate  my  labors  but 
with  my  life,  I  must  in  future  ])e  excused  from  med- 
dlinir  with  the  Military  Academv  unless,  by  some 
means  or  other,  I  ean  see  a  ])rospect  of  jiroducing 
some  benefit  to  my  country,  and,  pardon  my  vanity, 
some  hoiioi'  to  mvself." 

President  Madison,  in  an  able  state  pa})er  com- 
municated to  Congress,  Dec.  5,  l.Sl(>,  set  foith  the 
usefulness  and  necessity  of  a  ])ro])erly  organized 
^[ilitary  ^V(;ademy  to  teach  the  art  of  war  with  little 
expense  to  the  nation,  and  vrithout  danger  to  the 
liberties  of  the  peo[)le.  Tliough  Congress  failed,  in 
its  short  session,  to  carry  out  tlie  President's  earnest 
reconunendations,  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that 
his  own  chosen  Cabinet  Minister  could,  on  the  very 
verge  of  hostilities  with  one  of  the  most  ])owei"ful 
nations  of  the  earth,  have  totally  neglected  his  duty 
in  carrying  out  the  clearly  ex]>ressed  views  of  his 
cliief,  as  he  certainly  did. 

The  hostility  of  Secretary  Eustis  to  tiie  Military 
Academy,  tlie  Corps  of  Kngineers,  and  the  ade(|uate 
defense  of  our  coast,  had  tilled  Wilbanis'  cu])  of 
bitterness  to  oversowing.  To  a  proud,  ambitious 
officer  this  condition  of  things  was  most  liumiliating, 
and  bound  hand  ;uid  foot  by  the  or<lei-s  of  a  petty 


42      MILITAUY    KDICATIOX    AM)  (  Al  SKS  Ol"  TIIK   WAU. 


tyrant  wlio  luid  some  small  spite  to  avenge,  Colonel 
AVilliams  felt  there  was  no  release  but  by  resij^nini;" 
liis  commission.  A  warm  friend  wi-itin*;'  to  liim,  at 
this  time,  says:  "I  know  all  your  difficulties  and 
with  what  you  have  had  to  contend,  but  I  think  the 
])ros|)ect  may  brighten,  and  a  few  more  months  of 
anxiety  perhaps  will  compensate  for  all,  if  the  Nation 
is  not  determined  on  giving  u])  everything  that  is,  or 
has  been  military.  *  *  "^"  I  would,  if  I  were  you, 
with  such  a  Cc^rps  looking  Uj)  to  you,  and  I  may  say 
to  //(>/(,  alone,  saci'ifice  a  little  more  })efore  (putting  it." 
A  few  (hiys  later  an  officer  of  Engineers  writes 
to  him  privately:  "lam  sorry  to  see  you  are  in 
such  bad  spirits.  If  your  exertions  to  j)romote  the 
interests  of  the  Institution  conunitted  to  your  ehariiv 
have  been  unavailing,  you  ought  not  on  that  account 
to  desj)ond,  for  you  can  always  console  youi'self  with 
the  conviction  of  having  done  yonr  duty,  and  your 
Cor])s  and  country  will  ever  bear  testimony  to  your 
useful  hd^ors.  If  a  man  witli  your  })hilosophy  can. 
not  bear  up  with  the  apathy  of  govermnent  and 
that  total  disregai-d  of  everything  but  po]»ulai'ity, 
who  can  i  ^^>u  are  the  last  man  in  the  world  I 
should  susj)ect  of  being  touched  with  any  thing- 
coming  from  such  men  as  have  liad,  for  these  ten 
years  j)ast,  the  control  of  affairs  (in  the  Wai'De])art- 
ment).  *  *  *  \\  e  must  with  patience  wait  for 
a  change  for  the  better  (for  it  cannot  be  worse),  but 
always  pei'severing  in  doing  the  best.  If  they  neg- 
lect their  duty  it  is  no  reason  we  sliouhl  be  disheart- 
ened, however  great  the  o))stacles  may  be  whicli  sucli 
neglect  may  throw  in  the  way  of  your  zeal.    *    *    ^* 


HUI(i.-(iI-;NKUAL    .(ONAIIIAN     WILI.IAMS. 


r.\ 


loiiel 
>;irnig 
111,  at 
\  niid 
k  tlie 
lis  of 
Nation 
IS,  or 
e  j^oii, 
ay  say 
n,«:  it." 

writes 
are  in 
>te  tlie 
t'liai'ijje 

tCCOllllt 

If  with 
(1   your 
)  your 
y  can. 
it  and 
ularitv, 
>rl«  1 '  1 
ytliiuu' 
se  ten 
)e]»art- 
ait  for 
sc),  but 
ey  ueji;- 
slieart- 

oil  SlK'll 


V( 


4 


Vou  hint  a  deteniiination  to  resign,  if  certain  cir- 
cumstances more  favorable  to  youi*  views  do  not 
follow.  *  "■  '■■  T  hope  it  will  be  the  last  thinii' 
you  will  think  of." 

The  Secretary  of  Wai',  with  the  same  imbecile 
spirit  and  policy  which  had  characterized  many  <»f  his 
acts  since  entering  upon  office,  pro])osed  to  the  C'haii-- 
man  of  the  Senate  Committee  of  Foreign  Relations, 
1,00U  I'egulai's  and  1, <>()()  militia  for  manning  (f//  the 
defenses  of  our  great  commeivial  capital  against  the 
whole  power  of  Britain's  fleets;  and  hardly  a  resj)cct- 
able  scarecrow  of  an  arjiiy  of  10,000  men  to  invade 
Canada  and  jnotect  our  extended  coasts  and  frontiers. 

The  President's  annual  message  le<l  to  animated 
debates  in  Congress  upon  the  relative  advantages  of 
volunteer  militia  and  regular  trooj)s.  The  advocates 
of  volunteers  contended  that  the  raising  of  the 
foi'iiier  was  in  accoi'dance  with  the  spirit  of  the  Con- 
stitution, and  the  latter  dangerous  to  civil  liberty,  as 
})roved  by  the  overthi'ow  of  other  nations.  The 
sujiporters  of  regulars  answered  that  the  term  vol- 
unteer was  not  to  be  found  in  the  Constitution,  and 
the  visions,  sci'U])les,  a[)preheiisions  and  imaginary 
spectres  of  <lemagogiies  weiv  not  to  be  substituted 
for  //.s'  provisions;  that  "the  i)ower  to  raise  and  su|>- 
])ort  ai'mies  "  was  limited  only  by  the  national  exigen- 
cies to  be  judged  of  )»y  C^)ngress ;  that  Washington 
— wise  in  council  and  action,  and  experienced  as 
soldier  and  statesman — had  iie\  er  recommended  noI- 
unteers,  had  em|)hatically  condemned  militia  as  the 
soui'ce  of  all  our  disasters,  and  never  had  expresse<l 
apprehensions  of  a   standing  army;    that   since   his 


^ 


44      MILITAltY    KDICATIUN    AM)  «  Al  SKS  <)1'  TIIK   WAIJ. 


PreHideiicy  volunteer  niilitiu  luul  been  advocated 
mainly  on  the  ground  that  if  they  did  no  good  tliey 
could  do  no  liarni  ;  tliat  tliere  was  no  (huiger  to  tlie 
nation  from  any  species  of  force  maintained  hy 
yearly  a|)])ro[)i'iations  and  composed  of  our  own  cit- 
izens, sons  and  brothers;  that  the  Ku)>icon  was  now 
passed,  and  it  was  not  the  time  to  try  doubtful 
exj)edients  in  sustaining  our  foreign  relations  with 
energy  and  firnuiess;  that  war  was  an  art  not  to  be 
learned  in  a  day,  luit  a  science  \vhose  })rinci})les  nuist 
be  long  studied  in  schools  or  on  the  field  ;  that  all 
who  had  ])ai'tici[)ate(l  in  our  .struggles  knew  the 
necessity  of  discij)lined  troojts  without  which  we 
could  not  meet  Euro])eaii  veterans  landed  on  our 
shores;  that  the  Democratic  dogma  of  onr  chief 
reliance  ])eing  u])on  militia  was  a  fallacy,  for,  as 
Pickering  said,  it  had  "nevei'  done  any  good  to  the 
country,  exce})t  in  the  single  affair  of  Bnnker  Hill ;" 
that  the  cry  for  a  patriot  not  a  mercenary  army  \vas 
mere  claptraj),  instancing  the  Continental  soldiers  as 
paid  trooj)s  whose  compensation  did  not  lessen  their 
patriotism  nor  diminish  their  gallantly;  that  even 
the  New])r.rg  letters  of  an  artful  incendiary  could 
not  inflame  the  impoverished  Revolntionary  army 
to  deeds  of  violence  or  tlie  saci'ifice  of  our  dear 
bought  liberties;  and  that  corru])tion,  not  militaiy 
force,  was  the  ])regnant  cause  of  the  downfall  of 
nations. 


A 


s  Ave  s 


hall 


see  in  the  following  pages  o 


f  tl 


us 
red 


work,  the  volunteer  militia,  witli<  >ut  experience,  i)ro\ 
almost  worthless  till  two  disastrous  cam})aigns  had 
taught  the  necessity  of  <lrill  and  discipline,  which 


'  ''-(f 


K. 


nKr(;.-<ii:NKi!.\i.  .(onatiian   willia.ms. 


45 


I  they 
to  tlie 
h\    ])y 
vii  c'it- 
LS  now 
iil)tful 
^  with 
t  to  be 
s  must 
hat  all 
■w    the 
ich   we 
on   oiii" 
r  chief 
for,  as 
to  the 
Hill;" 
ly  was 
iers  as 
n  their 
it   even 
couhl 
y  army 
11'  dear 
lilitary 
mfall   of 

of  this 
)  roved 
irns  had 
\vhich 


I 


caused  our  arms  to  so  n'loriously  triumpli  in  tlie 
tliird  camj)aiixn  at  Cliip}iewa,  Nian;ara,  Plattsburg 
and  Foi-t  Erie  ;  provini?,  as  did  our  hite  civil  contest, 
that  no  troops  in  the  world  ever  surjmssed  our  Vol- 
unteers when  imu-ed  to  war  by  constant  traininj?  and 
battle,  thus  becominu",  except  in  name,  the  bravest, 
best  and  most  intelli!;i:ent  of  Re2;ulara. 

In  this  connection  we  cannot  forbear  ([uotino- 
from  a  brilliant  speech  delivered  since  the  alcove 
was  written.  Addressinij:  the  Society  of  the  Army 
of  the  Pi^tomac,  the  elo(|uent  orator  of  the  occasi<m, 
the  Rev.  D)'.  Ilenrx  Ward  Beeclier,  said  : 

"  Those  who  quake  with  dread  at  the  mention  of  a 
standino;  army  ni\  imder  the  influence  of  old  prej- 
tidices,  based  upon  European  exjiei'ience.  Standino- 
armies  in  the  hands  of  ambitious  monarchs,  in  the 
midst  of  a  multitude  of  contliyuous  and  iealous 
nations,  are  not  to  be  the  types  of  American  armies. 
In  the  whole  history  of  our  ijovernment  there  has 
never  been  a  <listurbance  or  even  a  threat  or  sus- 
picion of  dan^^er  from  the  jirofessic^n  of  ai-ms  in  the 
regular  army.  Our  most  eminent  oihcers  have  been 
profound  lovers  of  peace.  There  has  nevei'  been  an 
accusation  of  plot  or  plan  to  augment  their  power 
or  to  usurp  any  function  of  government.  We  luive 
had  a  boiling  and  bulibling  caldi'on  often,  and  our 
private  citizens  have  brought  fuel  to  it ;  our  dema- 
gogues have  roared,  our  politicians  have  plotted,  our 
statesmen  have  plunged  the  country  into  blunders 
and  whelmed  it  in  war;  but  the  armv  and  the  great 
generals  whose  names  are  our  glory  have  never 
bi'ouii-ht  on  a  disturbance;   have   alwavs  counseled 


u\ 


MIM'IAUV    KDICAI'IoN    A  Nh  (  A ISKS  (»I'  Til  K   \VAl{. 


foi'  ])ea('(';  linve  pxti'icated  tlie  coiiiiti'v  fr<»iii  its 
eiiil)arrassiiuMitM  and  daiiuvrs ;  and  liave,  In  tlu^ir 
iinifonii  and  univei-sal  |)i'nd(M»c't',  ivspect  for  law  and 
^ood  f(dl()wslii|),  proved  tlieniselves  to  he  safer  i»;uides 
tliaii  Iiave  been  oiir  civil  leaders.  Since  the  fouiui- 
inn"  of  tills  ij^oveninient,  I  challeiiijje  the  pro<luction 
of  a  single  niischief-inakiiiii;  military  man.  Ff  any 
names  ai'e  recalled  of  i^enerals  who  hav<-  ot'eii  rasli 
and  daiii^vrons,  in  every  instance  they  will  l)e  found 
to  he  extemporized  ij;eiiei'als,  made  out  of  ))rofessional 
politicians.  Otficei's  and  soldiers  ai'e  the  very  men 
who  ai'e  ahove  all  others  the  friends  of  peace.  Caucus 
and  C'onji;ress  are  ))ellicose:  the  Army  it  is  that  is  a 
National  Peace  Society. 

« 

"And  yet  no  class  of  men  of  eipial  attainments 
and  character  and  i:;enera]  ahility  are  as  severely 
criticised,  as  intentionally  underrated,  as  uncei-enio- 
niously  crippled  and  ahused,  as  our  sohliers. 

"Tliis  nation  is  indehted  to  tlie  West  Point  Mili- 
tary Academy  for  as  iiohle  a  hand  of  L;;raduates  as 
the  workl  can  ])ro(luce.  The  standard  of  honoi-  is 
nowhere  liiijlier.  Resj)ect  and  reverence  for  law  and 
lil)erty  are  nowhere  more  ])rofound.  Scru]»ulous 
fidelity  to  <luty  is  nowliere  more  nearly  a  relio:ion, 
and  the  honor  of  honesty,  fhe  honor  (>f  lioiK^sttf^  'nil-; 
HONOR  OF  HoxESTV,  is  uowliere  so  siojnally  illustrated 
as  in  the  (graduates  of  the  West  Point  Military 
Academy.  What  university,  what  college,  what 
theoloo;ical  seminary  can  point  to  its  two  tliousand 
i^rad nates  and  say:  'There  has  never  been  an  in- 
stance of  dishonesty  in  the  administi-ation  of  ])ul)lic 
monevsT     The  onlv  institution  in  this  coiintrv  that 


HKKi.-iJKXKIlAL   .(OXATHAN     WII-MA.MS. 


iM   its 

their 

V  au<l 

guides 

'oiuui- 
iK'tioii 
f  niiy 

II  I'iisll 
folllKl 

■^sioiiiil 
y  u\en 
Jaiu'us 
at  is  a 

nnu'iits 
Bverely 
•erenio- 

it  Mili- 
ites  as 
mor  is 
i\v  and 
unions 
eliu'ioH, 

///,   THK 

strated 
dilitaiy 
,  wliat 
ousand 
\  an  iii- 
]  ml  die 
trv  that 


can  say  tiiis  is  tlnit  Academy.  And  yet  this  nohlc 
cradle  of  iinldc  men  has  never  been  pain|)ered  and 
dandled.  Fnnds  have  l»een  ifrndu'inu'iy  voted  for  its 
hare  snhsistence ;  inipiox'ements  ha\'e  hecn  ivsisted  ; 
it  has  hcen  treafe(l  witli  snspicion  and  jnvjndice; 
and  it  has  wroiiu'lit  out  its  nnexampled  ivsnlts,  not 
hy  ahnndance  of  means,  hut  hy  the  devotion  of  its 
cor[)s  of  piud'essoi's  and  teachers  under  the  rii^or  of  a 
financial  system  which  lias  carried  economy  to 
stiiiii'iness. 

"What,  then,  is  the  attitude  of  the  United  States 
Army  to-day^  The  smallest  in  proportion  to  the 
[)()[»ulation  and  the  teri'itory  which  it  i:;uiM'ds  of  jiny 
army  on  the  <>;lol)e  !  It  has  l»een  in  the  field  almost 
without  rest  for  tweutv  vears.  It  is  scattei'ed  alonii' 
a  vast  frontier,  in  small  companies,  wateliinu'  nii>ht 
and  day  Mexican  thieves,  or  ti^htinL-'  savai«;es;  march- 
ini::  thronn'h  trackless  wastes,  in  severest  wintei' 
stoi'ins,  or  seorehed  hy  summer  oir  arid  [dains;  yield- 
ing- U])  itsCanhysaud  itsCusters.  It  has  been  made 
the  seapei,^oat  of  l)ad  men.  And  all  this  while  it  is 
assailed  in  the  I'earhv  hound ino-  jxditicians,  whooare 
nothinu'  foi-  its  honor,  who  would  retrench  its  uum- 
l)ers,  dinunish  its  revenues,  and  make  hard  and  hitter 
tiie  lives  of  men  who  have  served  their  country  at 
]»ains  and  jiei'ils  whieh  would  have  aj)palled  the 
stoutest  heart  of  the  self-denyiui::  hei-oes  of  Caucus 
and  Conii:ress! " 

To  the  same  purport  we  further  (|Uote  from  a 
historical  sketch  by  a  forcible  writer,  H.  C.  C,  on 
the  "Lahor  Strikes' of  1877."     He  says: 

"Whisky  riots,  Orange  riots,  Anti-vSlaveiy  tumults, 


4S      MILITARY   KDI'CATroX   AM)  (AISKS  oF  TIIK  WAIf. 


Kiiow-Notliiuii  riots,  Draft  riots,  Feniaii  (listiirhances, 
and  Hiially  the  Kailioad  Strikes  and  I^al>(>r  Troubles 
the  Slimmer  of  1877,  Iiave  each,  in  tuiii,  demon- 
stratetl  tlie  inability  of  the  local  c(tnstal»ulaiT  to 
deal  with  them,  and  the  stern,  unavoidable  necessity 
of  calliuii'  to  the  ivscue  the  traine<l,  impartial  sol- 
diei',  who  is  'a  useless  hireliuij:'  when  the  dear 
j)eo|>le  do  not  shake  with  feai',  and  'apati'lot  hero' 
when  tliey  do. 

"Tlie  most  jealous  and  exactinu'  'i-e^'ular/  how- 
ever, could  ask  no  ijfi'eater  tril)ute  to  his  business 
(lualifications  than  was  accorded  him  by  the  i-ed- 
haiK'ed  and  blood-stained  mo])s  of  1877.  In  e\  erv 
listurbed  conununity  whei-e  the  customaiy  i;uar- 
ians  of  the  peace  were  jxtwerless,  and  the  ii;or- 
ojeously-attired  militia  failed  to  sustain  themselves, 
even  hy  tlie  free  use  of  bayonets  and  ))all-caitridues, 
the  measured  tread  of  the  national  soldier  was  a 
suiiicient  signal  for  |)roni))t  retreat.  Ilis  presence, 
with  'ten  days'  rations  aiul  two  hundred   rounds  of 

« 

ammunition,'  intimated  consecpieiices  and  forbade 
affiliation,  and  the  i>;amiiis  of  enraired  ]*ittsbur<i'  were 
(piick  to  see  and  say,  'Them  fellars  aiiTt  ^ot  no 
bokays  in  f/teir  fjuns.'' 

"Not  a  Federal  musket  had  to  be  tired  at  any 
j)oint,  and  an  insurrection  which  had  spi-ead  with 
the  celerity  of  a  jn'airie  fire  over  a  dozen  of  the 
richest  and  most  tliickly-[)o])ulated  States  of  the 
Union,  sns])en<led  trans] )ortation,  ])aralyzed  trade, 
destroyed  life  and  pro])erty,  awed  ca])ital,  threat- 
ened to  sack  the  Treasuiy  at  WashiuLCtoii  and  burn 
the    beautiful    Ca))itol    liuildinir,    and    by    Its    vast 


th 
(h 
ti<- 
ac 


i 


Ml{I(J.-(iKNi:it  M,    .roXATHAN    WnJ-FAMS. 


4t> 


'vvteiit  Mini  insolent  fciocitv  Ii.-nl  convulsed  tlic  civil- 
ized   \soi'l(l,  was  quickly  (jiiclled    l»y   a    handful    of 
soldiers,    the  ureater  jtart  of  whom,  to  theii*  eternal 
uloi'iticati(»n   he  it  i'ecorde<l,  were  at    that    very  mo- 
ment, hy  a  straniife  coincidence,  serving  without  ])ay 
oi'  ))rosj)ect  of  pay  foi"  months  to  come,  and  with  the 
hitter  j'ec('llecti<»n  of  a  CN)nii;ressional   motion  t(»  dis. 
hand  them  hy  default  fresh  in  their  minds.      No  tri- 
um|)li  of  arms  oi*  chai'acter  could  have  heen  ui'ander 
than  this  silent  exhihition  of  unconditional  fidelity." 
Both  of  the  ahove  quotations  are  only  modifica- 
tions of  the  sentiments  of  the  truth-tellinij;  and  wise 
Wk       \Vashin<,^ton,  who,  after  more   than   thii'ty  years  of 
^       civil  and   military  exj)ei'ience  ( not  in   seek ini,'' office 

i        hy  deuounciiiii;  Reo:dars  and   Standinii;   Armies   as 

•        menacino-  lihertv  and  entailini"-  C'a'sai'ism),  sav;^: 

"The  jealousy  of  a  standinu:  army  and   the  evils 

:,^       to  he  a])prehen(led  from  one  aiv  remote  and,  in  my 
judii-ment,  situated  and  circumstanced  as  we  are,  not 

;,       at  all  to  be  dreaded  ;  hut  the  conse(|uence  of  wantinu; 

}|  one,  accord iniLi;  to  my  ideas  formed  from  the  pivsent 
view  of  things,  is  certain  and  inevitahle  i-uin.  For 
if  I  was  called  upon  to  declare  upon  oath  whethei* 
the  militia  have  heen  most  serviceable  or  hurtful 
upon  the  whole,  I  should  subsci'ibe  to  the  lattei-,  I 
do  not  mean  by  this,  liowe\  er,  to  ari'aisj^n  the  con- 
duct of  Conii'ress;  in  so  doino;  I  should  equally  con- 
demn my  own  measures.  Hut  ex])ei'ience,  which  is 
the  best  criterion  to  work  bv,  so  fullv,  clearlv,  and 
decisively  reprobates  the  practice  of  trusting  to  mili- 
tia tliat  no  man  wlio  regards  his  own  honor  (►r  char- 
acter will  risk  them  upon  this  issue." 


50      iAlII.ITAIJV    KDICATIOX   AND  (AISKS  (»r  TIIK   WAK. 


Sec'i'etury  Eiistis'  liostility  to  Colonel  Williams 
became  at  leiiLi'tli  so  marked  that  he  felt  there  was 
iio  alternative  but  to  resio-n  liis  |)osition  of  Chief 
Enu:ineei-.  Few  traces  of  liis  feeliiiifs  are  to  he 
^'ound  in  his  official  correspondence;  but  the  ])rivate 
lettei's  of  his  devoted  wife  tell  the  story.  "  ILive 
you  heard,"  says  she,  "  anythinii;  un[)leasant  from  the 
Secretai'v,  that  you  talk  of  resio-ninu:  immediatelv  i 
Make  up  your  mind,  and  rest  assured  that  I  shall 
be  perfectly  ha])})V  in  s])endini;"  the  rest  of  my  life 
at  Mount  Pleasant  if  you  can  be  content  to  relin- 
quish tlie  bustle  of  the  world."  Again  she  writes: 
''If  you  are  sure  you  liave  not  suffered  ])ersonal 
resentment  to  influence  you  in  the  least,  or  to  carry 
you  one  Jot  beyond  the  true  line  (»f  moderation  and 
proj)riety,  I  think  you  ])erfectly  riuht  to  ])ursue 
your  way  regardless  of  consequences,  and  to  sup- 
port, whilst  you  belong  to  it,  the  interest  and  honor 

belonsr : 


1(1  ol 


)S   TO 


'Ol 


only  prepare  yourself  so  as  not  to  be  fretted  l)y  any- 
thing they  can  do.  ILiving  already  almost  made  u]> 
your  mind  to  resio;n   it  is  as  well  to  do  all  the  good 


yon  can   to  those  you  leave    behind    vou. 
she  says 


that 


Later 
1  am  (piite  grieved  to  see  by  every  letter 

I  think  it 


you  are  in  j)urgatory 


unfortunate  that  you  did  not  make  U|)  your  mind  to 
I'esign  sooner.  Now  I  })resume  that  you  must  wait 
till  the  (piestion  of  ])eace  or  war  is  decided.  '''  *  * 
We  liave  sufficient  witli  i)rudence  to  live  U])on; 
banish  therefore  all  concern  of  that  kind  from  your 
mind,  and  make  a  determination   to  give   uj)   y( 


)U1' 


conunission  whenever  the  situation  of  the  countr\ 
will  admit  it." 


*% 


\\l. 


iuji(;.-<;i:m:kal  .i<»natiia:s    wim.iams. 


51 


Ulaiiis 
V   wtis 

Chief 
to    l)e 
)i'ivute 
'  Iljive 
1)111  the 
lately  i 
I   shiiU 
my  life 
1)  rcliii- 
wi'ites : 
)ei'soii'cil 
to  carry 
ion  and 

pursue 

to    SU|)- 

tl  honor 

l)elon«2; ; 

l)y  any- 

iiade  u]) 

lu'  !j;o(h1 

Later 

ry  letter 

tiiink   it 

mind  to 

lUst  wait 
-:;■    -K-    •X- 

e  u]>on ; 
i(»iii  your 

u))  your 
'  countrv 


;« 


The  othcers  of  Ills  ('ori)s,  who,  to  the  liighest 
otheial  res])eet,  joined  the  most  affectionate  regard, 
entreated  him  not  to  I'esion.  One  speaks  of  tlie 
"almost  ])ateriial  care  of  its  ])eloved  chief;"'  and 
another  writes:  "  I  am  sorry  to  liear  you  talkiiiu'  of 
private  life.     *    *     *     I  believe  your  remaining:  at 

l_  »,  »  . 

the  head  of  the  Corps,  at  this  time,  is  more  essential 
to  its  respectability  and  its  hajtpiness  than  it  has 
been  ever  before.  For  now  we  have  a  Father  who 
has  tlie  affection  of  his  sons,  and,  without  his  ])rotec- 
tion  an<l  unceasing  labors  for  their  honor  and  wel- 
fare, they  stand  at  present  but  a  pool-  chance  of 
arrivino;  at  that  elevation  in  which  you  would  wish 
to  leave  them." 

Colonel  Williams,  nevertheless,  July  in,  1.S12, 
tendered  his  resignation  as  Cliief  Engineer  of  the 
United  States  Army  and  ex-othcio  Superintendent  of 
the  jSIilitarv  Academy,  which  was  accepted  Aug. '?5>, 
to  date  July  .'U,  1<S1:2.  The  history  of  tills  trans- 
action, inv<  iving  military  princi])les,  will  be  given 
somewhat  at  lengtli. 

Colonel  AN'illiams,  it  will  be  recollecte<l,  had  once 
before,  June  '2(\  180.S,  resigned  <m  a  ([iiestloii  of  his 
i-ights  of  command.  After  twenty  months,  March  1, 
1.S05,  Lieut.  Macomb  wrote  to  him:  "I  rejoice 
to  let  you  know  that  it  has  l»een  hinted  bv  the 
President  that  your  return  to  the  service  would  be 
very  pleasing  to  him";  and,  on  the  2Uth,  (renera.l 
Wilkinson  from  A\'asliingtoii,  says:  "The  partiality 
which  the  I^esident  cherishes  for  you,  and  tlie  ser- 
\lce  of  your  country,  will  not  only  justify  but 
deman<l    some    concessions  of  opinion  on  doctrines 


52      MILITARY   KDrc  ATroX   AM)  (  ACSKS  OF  THE  WAR. 

which  depend  much  (Hi  feeling' ;"  and,  he  continues, 
"■  t/our  I'ii/Jit  of  comman'l  U  li'hl  in,  trui<.t  by  the 
President,  and  will  he  eonfi-rreil  wlien  it  may  lie 
deemed  convenient  to  the  [)ul)lic  service,  in  the  mean- 
time ifcm  are  suhject  to  his  order.^  onh/y 

A  general  order,  first  approved  by  the  Secretary  of 
War,  was  then  issued  recoi2:nizin<>'  the  j)rinciples  al)ove 
stated,  ai  d  in  two  or  three  (hiys  afterward,  A])i"il  It), 
1805,  Colonel  \yilliams  accepted  his  connnission  of 
Chief  Engineer  whicli  he  had  resigned  June  20, 1 808. 

The  Act  establishing  the  Rules  and  Regula- 
tions for  the  government  of  the  Army,  was  passed 
April  10,  1806;  and,  by  the  08(1  of  these  Articles  of 
War,  the  power  of  the  President  to  grant  the  com- 
mand, by  sj)ecial  engagement  held  iti  trai^t  by  him,  is 
formally  recognized  and  made  law. 

Till  May  27,  1812,  Colonel  Williams  continued 
to  receive  his  orders  from  the  War  Department  only  ; 
but  on  that  day  the  Secretary  of  War,  through  the 
Acting  Adjutant  General,  thought  proper  to  turn 
him  over  to  Brig.-General  Bloomfield,  to  whom  the 
command  of  the  city  and  harbor  of  New  York  had 
been  confided. 

On  the  21at  of  June,  1812,  by  the  return  of 
that  post  whicli  brought  to  New  York  the  Declara- 
tion of  War  against  Great  Britain,  Colonel  Wil- 
liams  claimed  the  command  "■  held  in  trust  by  the 
President  of  the  United  States^'  and  legally  desig- 
nated by  the  63d  Article  of  ^\'ar.  He  sa}'s  in  a 
respectful  letter:  "  By  the  27th  Section  of  the  Act 
of  March  16,  1802,  it  is  declared  that  '  the  Engineers 
shall    be   sul)ject   at  all   times   t«    do  duty    in  such 


u. 

iimes, 
y  the 
ay  be 
iiiean- 

aiT  of 
above 
n-ilU), 
uoii  of 

,  iso;^. 

legula- 
passed 
cles  of 
le  c'lMii- 
liiin,  is 

itiiuied 
it  only ; 
igli  tlie 
to  turn 
koni  the 
)rk  had 

turn  of 
Dechira- 
el.  Wil- 

by  the 
Iv  (lesig- 
lys  hi  a 

the  Act 
ngineers 

hi  such 


BUIG.-(ij:NKHAL    JOXATHAX    WILLIAMS. 


58 


phices  and  on  sucli  service  as  tlie  Piesich^ut  of  the 
United  States  shall  direct,'  and  by  the  (5;^!  Article 
of  AVar  that  '  the  Euii-ineers  are  not  to  assume  nor  are 
they  subject  to  be  ordered  on  any  duty  beyond  the 
line  of  their  immediate  profession,  e,vcepf  hi/  tlw 
special  order  of  the  President  of  the  United  States.^ 

"  AVhile  the  peace  estaldishmeiit  existed,"  says 
Colonel  Williams,  "I  had  but  three  suj)erior  officers — 
General  Wilkinson  and  Colonels  Hurbeck  and  Cush- 
ing.  I  have  now  fourteen  superiors,  and,  while  I 
caiuiot  assume  the  command  of  a  subaltern,  I  am  ex- 
posed to  perform  professional  duty  where  a  sul)al- 
tern  conunands. 

"AVW  beinu:  now  declared,  my  situation  in  this 
harbor  becomes  humiliating  in  the  last  degree.  Tlie 
\vorks  that  have  been  constructed  by  me  became 
inhabited  and  conunanded  by  my  inferi(^rs,  for  in 
military  command  I  liave  not  the  authorit}-  of  a 
sergeant. 

"I  pray  you,  Sir,  to  relieve  me  from  this  unpleas- 
ant situation,  and  by  a  special  order,  wliich  you 
alone  can  give,  to  })lace  me  in  that  \vlii('h  my  nom- 
inal rank  naturally  points  out  and  wliich  my  honor 
re(|uires.  I  indulge  in  hope  that  this  reasonable 
ie(|iiest  will  be  complied  with  immediately  and  that 
by  return  of  j)ost  I  shall  be  placed  in  a  command 
consistent  with  my  character,  and  such  as  T  lio])e, 
also,  is  not  unmerited  by  the  public  services  I  have 
rendeivd." 

On  the  '2'M  of  June  the  President  directed  the 
required  command  to  be  given,  which  the  Secretaiy 
of   Wai-  conmunicated  to  (leiieral   Hloomtiehl  in  the 


r)4      MIMTAKY    KDICA  I'loX    AND  CAI'SKS  OK    I  H  K   WAI!. 


followiiiii:  tei'iiis:  "  It  is  the  pleasure  of  tlie  President 
that,  wlienever  tlie  exii^encieft  of  tlie  service  may 
re(juii'e  tlie  talents  and  kiiowled,<i;e  of  tlie  otficers  of 
the  Corps  of  Eiii^ineers  beyond  the  line  of  their 
immediate  ])rofession,  you  may  assign  to  those  under 
y(mr  eommand  sueli  duties  in  the  line  of  tlie  army 
as  may  comport  with  tlieir  rank."  On  the  27tli, 
General  Bloomtield  assured  Colonel  Williams  that 
arrangements  should  Ije  made  to  accord  with  his 
wishes. 

The  order  was  verbally  communicated  to  Colonel 
Williams,  Castle  Williams  designated  as  his  post, 
and  he  gave  on  the  '2d  of  July  his  estimate  of  the 
force  and  organization  of  its  garrison.  On  the  7th 
he  put  the  Engineers  un<ler  the  direction  of  Major 
Armistead,  reported  himself  i-eady  for  duty,  and  was 
al)out  to  take  (|uai'ters  on  Governors  Island  to  exer- 
cise the  command  due  to  his  rank  and  in  conformity  to 
the  President's  order,  comnuinicated  on  the  28d  of 
June  1)V  the  vSecretarv  of  A\  mi-. 

X  ^Memorial  signed  by  eighteen  c(>mj)any  officers, 
principally  subalterns,  was  diivcted  to  Colonel  Bui"- 
beck,  in  command  of  the  Artillerv  in  the  liarboi'  of 
New  York,  and  left  on  the  table  of  General  Bloom- 
field's  (juarters.  This  memorial  indulged  in  nuich 
(kJ  (•<i)>f(iii(hiiii  declamation,  ex])ressed  givat  personal 
resj»ect  foi'the  Kngineers,  and  acknowledged  the  "lati- 
tu<le  given  to  the  IVesident  by  the  Act  of  March  1<), 
1K0*2,  justifyinghiminassumingthe  [)owertocall  them 
to  comnnnid  troo])s  ;  "  but  affirmed  that  "the  officers 
of  the  Corps  of  Kngineers  aiv  A//  l((ii\  universal 
custom    and    the    importance    of    theii'    |)i'(d'essional 


AK. 


i?ki<;.-<ji:ni;uai.  .ioxatman   wii.i.iams. 


,).) 


esideiit 
e  may 
Lcei'M  of 
f  their 
3  under 
3  army 
B  27tl"i, 
us  tliat 
ith   liis 

Colonel 
is  post, 

of  the 
the  7th 
I-'  Majer 
ind  was 
to  exer- 
rniity  t<> 

2  ad  of 

( )iheers, 
lel  Bur- 
arhor  of 
Hloom- 
n  much 
personal 
he  "  lati- 
arch  1  <>, 
all  them 
\^  officers 

fessional 


t 


duties  separated  from  the  line  of  the  army,"  for«ji:et- 
tiiiijj  tliat  the  law  makes  no  such  declaration  and  that 
there  can  he  no  "  universal  custom  "  in  a  country  where 
tliei-e  never  had  heen  a  regular  Corps  of  Enuineers 
fully  organized  till  the  existing  enactment  of  1)S()2, 
the  foreign  engineers,  dui'ing  the  devolution  and 
suhsefpiently,  having  been  sj)eciHcally  employed  as 
se])ai'ate  individuals  connected  hy  no  defined  cor])s 
organization  whatever. 

On  the  rumor  of  this  opposition  General  Bloom- 
field  had,  on  the  <)th  of  July,  written  to  the  Secretary 
of  War  for  fresli  instructions,  and  on  the  11  th  tlie 
Secretary  answered,  "leaving  the  employment  of 
the  Engineers  altogether  subject  to  liis  judgment  and 
decision."  AVhile  awaiting  the  Secretary's  reply, 
(it'ueral  Hloomtield  had,  on  the  lOtli,  comnumicated 
to  Colonel  Williams  a  copy  of  liis  suspended  order, 
which  was  to  have  been  pronudgated  on  the  3th. 
It  is  as  follows  : 

"  It  being  'the  ])leasure  of  the  IVesident,'  that 
'  irliciu  r<i'  ihc  <:viin-n('i(x  (tf  tlte  aerr/cc  i)/(fi/  nqiiit-ii 
the  talents  and  knowledge  of  the  othcers  of  the 
Cor|)s  of  Engineei's,  beyond  tlie  line  of  their  imme- 
diate ])rofession,'  that  those  under  command  at  this 
|»(»st  'be  assigned  such  duties  in  tiie  line  of  the 
army  as  may  com[)ort  with  their  rank;'  and  the 
(leneral  conunaufling,  believing  that  '  fJu-  (.v'^jcm-if-s 
of  flip  w^/vvVr  r<(/uirp\m  this  occasion  the  talents  and 
abilities  of  .lonathan  Williams,  Es(|.,  the  Colonel  of 
the  Corps  of  Engineers,  thei'efore,  in  ])ursuance  of 
the  ordei-s  of  the  Pivsident,  directs  that  Colonel 
\\  illianis  take  upon  jiiniself  such  duties  in  the  line 


■^■^^ 


ill 


.    !  iill  - 


56      MILITARY   KDUOATIOX  AXI)  (  ATSKS  OF  TIIK  WATI. 

of  the  'iniiy  stationed  in  this  liarhor  an<l  city,  as 
may  coin[)oi't  with  tlie  rank  of  Colonel  in  the  Army 
and  service  of  the  United  States,  accordinsj;  to  sen- 
lority  of  commission;  and  he  is  to  be  respected  and 
obeyed  accordingly."  (Signed,)  Josepli  Bloomfield. 
A  copy  of  the  remonstrance  of  the  eighteen  com- 
})any  officers  was  also  connnunicated  to  Colonel 
Williams  to  explain  the  suspension  of  the  above 
order.  In  forwarding  this  remonstrance,  on  the  9th, 
to  the  Secretary  of  War,  (xeneral  Hloomfiehl  says: 
"  r  liave  deemed  it  correct  t(>  exercise  that  discretion 
with  which  the  pleasure  of  the  President  has  hon- 
ored me,  to  suspend  calling  Colonel  Williams  or  any 
of  the  Corps  of  Engineers  to  exercise  the  duties  in 
the  line  of  the  army  contemplated  by  your  commu- 
nication of  the  'ilJd  of  June  last,  until  I  shall  be 
favored  with  the  further  orders  of  the  President 
in  this  unpleasant  business." 

Upon  receiving,  on  July  10th,  the  above  connnu- 
nication  from  Genei'al  Hloomtield,  C\)lonel  A\'illiams 
wi'ote  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  as 
follows  : 

"Since  my  letter  to  you  of  the  L*lst  of  June,  (xen- 
eral Bloomfield  ccmimunicated  to  me  an  order  from 
the  Secretary  of  War  which  in  substance  agreed 
with  the  retjuest  I  had  the  honor  to  make  to  you, 
and  of  which  you  have  a  cojn'  enclosed.  After 
com])letiiig  some  official  duties  at  Philadelphia  I 
returned  to  New  York  and  reported  mvself  readv 
to  take  such  command  an  mii>'lit  'comi)ort  with  mv 

O  J-  V 

rank.' 

'Mxeneral  Bloomfield  was  about  to  issue  the  re(|ui- 


1 


r\n. 


BRI(J.-<iEXKKAL    .lOXATIIVX     WH.LIAMS. 


Ol 


LMty,   as 

i  Army 

to  sen- 

4 

ted  and 
onitield. 
gn  coni- 
Colonel 
c^  above 
tlie  9tli, 
d  says : 
scretion 
las  lion- 
8  or  any 
uties  in 
coninm- 
sliall  be 
"resident 

connnu- 
iVillianis 
itates   as 

ne,  (len- 
ler  from 
;  agreed 
:^  to  you, 
Aftei- 
elpliia  I 
If  I'eady 
\vitli  my 

lie  reijul- 


site  order  when  lie  received  a  coinmunieation  of 
which  I  enclose  a  cop},  being  a  remonstrance  against 
the  measure  signed  by  eighteen  company  otHcers. 
Far  be  it  from  me,  Sir,  to  create  any  division  among 
men  whose  jn'ofession,  of  all  others,  sliouhl  form  a 
well  connected  and  affectionate  l)rotlierh<tod.  But 
I  must  be  permitted  to  judge  for  myself  in  what 
relates  personally  to  me,  therefore  it  only  remains  to 
do  the  lasi  act  tliat  can  be  <lone  consistently  with 
my  honor  and  a  desire  to  pi'eserve  harmony  among 
the  officers  in  the  army,  and  I  hereb\'  resij^n  my 
commission. 

"The  case  is  too  impei'ions  to  need  much  ai'gu- 
ment ;  but  it  may  not  be  impro])er  to  observe  that 
after  having  resigned  on  a  former  occasion,  I  was 
called  again  into  service  upon  an  express  stipulation 
which  was  afterwards  made  law  by  the  68d  x\rticle 
of  tlie  Rules  and  Regulations  for  the  government  of 
the  Army.  This  being  the  c(mdition  upon  wliicli 
alone  I  accepted  my  conmiission,  I  hold  myself 
absolved  from  all  obligation  the  moment  it  ceases  to 
operate.  The  loss  of  an  officer  in  his  sixty-third 
year  may  not  be  considered  of  great  importance 
when  compared  with  that  of  eighteen  officers  in  the 
vigor  of  youth,  for  by  the  tone  of  the  remonstrance 
it  is  to  be  presumed  that  this  consecjuence  would 
follow  if  tlie  order  were  to  be  enforced." 

At  the  same  time  Colonel  Williams  wrote  to 
Secretary  Eustis  :  "  For  reasons  offered  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  I  have  resigned  and  do 
hereby  resign  my  commission  as  Colonel  in  the  Cor})s 
of  Enu'ineers," 


58      MILII  AIIY   Enm'ATlOX    AXI)  CAUSES  OK  THE  WAR. 


Colonel  Williams  iiiiuounced  liis  resignation  to 
his  command  in  a  feeling  and  manly  (jrder,  conclud- 
ing tluis : 

"In  making  this  comnnmication  to  the  C\)rj)s  of 
Engineers,  the  Colonel  Coniman(hint  is  equally  influ- 
enced, by  motives  of  self  justification,  to  those  for 
whom  he  has,  from  the  first  moment  of  his  connection 
with  them,  felt  the  affection  of  a  parent ;  and  of 
leaving  behind  him  a  monument  of  his  sense  of  what 
ia  due  to  the  honor  of  that  Cor])s,  which  is  by  the 
records  of  the  Army  |)laced  at  the  Head  of  the  List. 
That  it  may  never  suffer  the  humiliation  of  being 
deprived  of  those  rights,  which  the  other  Corps  iu- 
discriminately  enjoy,  shall  ever  be  his  constant 
prayer. 

"Farewell,  my  deal'  P'riends  !  Farewell!" 

General  T.  H.  Crushing,  Adjutant  (xeneral  of  the 
Army,  in  transmitting,  Aug.  2t),  1M12,  the  acceptance 
of  Colonel  Williams'  resignation,  "to  take  effect  on 
the  'Ust  July,  1812,"  adds  the  following  private 
letter : 

"  In  communicating  an  order  which  dissolves  our 
connection  as  Brothers  in  Arms,  permit  me  to  offer 
my  warmest  wishes  for  your  prosperity,  happiness 
and  honour,  and  to  express  the  regret  I  feel,  in  com- 
mon with  many  res})ectable  military  and  civil  friends, 
at  the  public  loss  sustained  by  the  resignation  of  an 
officer  so  distinguished  for  Intelligence,  Industry  and 
Zeal  in  the  public  service." 

Thus  was  lost  to  the  Army  one  of  its  brightest 
ornaments ;  to  the  Corps  of  Engineers  a  Chief  whose 
devotion  to  its  welfare  and  honor  was  unbounded ; 


J 


'% 


AR. 

tion  to 
Diiclud- 

()r])s  of 
ly  iiiflu- 
lose  for 
iiiectioii 
and  of 
of  wliat 
I  by  the 
he  list. 
)f  heing 
!oi'ps  in- 
constant 


al  of  the 
ceptance 
effect  on 
;  private 

L)lves  our 
I  to  offer 
iai)piness 
,  in  com- 
1  friends, 
on  of  an 
Listry  and 

brightest 
lef  whose 
bounded ; 


HRI(i.-<JKNERAL    JoX  ATIIA  X     WII.I.IAAfS. 


59 


.111(1  to  tlu*  Military  Acudeniy  an  Alma  Pater,  who 
for  years  tenderly  watched  over  its  infancy  and  h)ng 
struggled  for  its  advancement  ami  eminence  against 
tlie  continued  Jipathy  of  Congress,  the  feeble  su[)port 
of  Secretary  I)earl)()rn,  and  the  bitter  liostilitv  of  his 
narrow-niin(U'd  successor. 

It  will  be  naturally  asked  why  the  administration 
of  l*rcsident  Madison  had  not  essayed  some  adju.st- 
ment  of  difticidties  in  the  seven  Aveeks  it  had  lield 
Colonel  Williams'  resignation  under  consideraHon. 
Why,  if  it  valued  his  great  services  and  eminent 
abilities,  it  had  not  declined  to  allow  him  to  leave 
the  head  of  his  distinguished  Corpse  or  why,  to  cut 
the  (Tordlan  knot  of  his  just  rights,  it  had  not  gen- 
ei'ously  given  one  of  its  noblest  veteran.s,  fourtli  i" 
rank  in  the  whole  Army,  a  higher  grade  instead  of 
('onferi'ing  such  superioi'  appointments  U})on  infei-ior 
men  unknown  to  fame  ^  It  was  l^ecause  William 
Eustis  was  Seci'etary  of  War  and  could  not,  nor 
would  not,  rise  "  to  the  heiglit  of  this  great  argument " 
in  a  liianner  befitting  a  (Cabinet  Ministei-of  tlie  infant 
ltej)ublic  entei-ing  upon  a  death  struggle  with  a  giant 
of  the  earth.  His  hostility,  somewhat  political, 
(  Williams  heing  a  Federalist  of  the  Washington 
school)  was  moi'e  splenetical,  he  having,  from  his 
entrance  u[)on  office,  vowed  wai'  against  the  Military 
Academy  and  Corps  of  Engineers.  Boui'bondike,  lie 
knew  nothing  of  military  matters  heyond  what  he 
had  learned  in  the  Revolution,  where  oui'  engineers 
were  .soldiers  of  fortune  serving  for  [lay  and  titles, 
with,  except  in  name,  no  more  rank  and  command 
than    so    many    wagon-mastei's.      In    the    prejudiced 


m 


Tl! 


iP 


60      MIIJTAUY  EDI^fATlON   ANP  CATSKS  OF  THE  WAK. 


r^m 


ih. 


mind  of  an  ii^nonint  Secretaiy,  those  Revolutionary 
ideas  were  paramount  to  all  our  subse([ueni  ex])eri- 
ence,  aiu'  *t  was  not  for  his  narrow  comprehension  co 
ap])reciate  the  noble  disinterestedness  of  one  who  had 
created  a  Cor])S  of  Engineers  from  native  talent ;  who 
had  organized  a  Military  Academy  for  the  education 
of  our  own  officers;  who  had  com])lete]y  metamor- 
phosed our  coast  defences;  and  wlio,  as  President 
Jefferson  had  sai<l,  coml)ined  the  virtues  with  the 
love  of  science  of  his  illustrious  kinsman — Dr.  Benja- 
min Franklin. 

After  his  resignation,  C/olonel  Williams  retired 
to  his  beautiful  country  seat,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Schuylkill,  to  enjoy  that  i-epose  which  had  been 
denied  him  for  long  years.  In  imitation  of  Metaa- 
tasio,  he  could  now  sav : 


"  Tlianks  dear 


-,  imliil{i;eiit  clieut. 


Kind  Heaven,  and  your  more  kind  deceit, 

At  length  liave  set  me  free. 
1  feel  iio  rival's  i)roud  control, 
I  feel  no  inmate  in  my  soul 

But  peace  and  liberty." 

At  Moiuit  Pleasant  he  received  constant  tokens 
of  the  attachment  of  his  brother  officers  and  of  the 
civilians  who  had  been  associated  with  him.  In  a 
jn'ivate  letter,  DeAVitt  Clinton  says:  "If  we  con- 
sider your  a])sence  from  the  C\nnmissi()n  for  the 
Defense  of  New  York  Ilarljor  as  so  great  a  ])riva- 
tion  to  us  as  an  individual,  be  assured  that  your 
resignation  as  an  officer  is  a  subject  of  general  regret, 
considering  our  exposed  situation  and  the  confidence 
reposed  in  you  by  all  our  citizens.  AVe  esteem  your 
departure  as  a  loss  that  cannot  be  supplied.'' 


llJ. 


Blt[({.-(JKM:iJAI-    .r(LNATlIAN     WILLIAMS. 


Gl 


onary 

• 

'Xi)eri- 
sioii  to 
lo  had 
;  who 
icatioii 
taiiior- 
'sideiit 
th  tlie 
Beiija- 

retired 
of  the 
I  l)eeii 
Metas- 


tokens 
of  the 
111  a 
ve  coii- 
for  tlie 
I  pi'iva- 
it  your 
1  regret, 
liideiice 


(xeiieral  AEortoii  of  Xew  York  writes :  "  I  cannot 
sup[)ress  a  feeiingof  in(lii:;nation  wlieii  I  retlect  that, 
from  tlie  weakness  and  wickedness  of  men  in  office, 
we  have  hwt  the  virtues  and  talents  wliieli  would 
have  henetitted  and  honored  our  country  " 

AEajor  Swift  echoes  tlie  unanimous  sentiments  of 
his  brother  engineers  when  he  says  to  Colonel  Wil- 
liams: "The  Corps  are  never  to  be  without  your  aid 
so  long  as  you  remain  on  this  world's  stage;  and  you 
can  never  be  Avithout  their  grateful  regard."  As 
they  could  no  longer  enjoy  his  presence  at  West 
Point,  the  Corps  of  Engineers  recpiested  him  to  sit 
for  his  full-leno-th  likeness  which  was  executed  by 
Sully  and  now  adorns  the  library  of  the  Military 
Academy.  A  copy  of  tlie  same  v\'as  ordered,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1813,  by  the  City  of  Xew  York,  "in  consid- 
eration of  the  high  sense  the  Common  Council 
entertain  of  the  important  services  rendered  to  the 
city  by  Colonel  Jonathan  AA'illiams  in  preparing  and 
executing  plans  of  defense  f(^r  the  Port,  and  as  an 
evidence  of  the  distinguished  esteem  they  entertain 
for  his  character  and  professional  talents." 

Governor  Tom])kins  of  New  York,  highly  esti- 
mating Cohmel  Williams'  talents  and  services  to  the 
State,  conferred  upon  him,  May  17,  1814,  the  Brevet 
of  Brigadier-General  of  the  State  Militia;  and, 
Feb.  13,  1815,  he  was  commissioned  a  full  l^rigadier- 
General,  by  a  vote  of  the  Legislature  of  Ne\v  York. 

These  were  no  uncommon  testimonials  to  the 
talents  and  character  of  a  citizen  of  another  state 
stationed  amono;  them  only  for  a  few  years. 

After  the   retirement  of  Secretar\-    Eustis  from 


I 


<)*i      Mll.ri  AKY    KDIi  A'I'KiN    AND  CAl'SES  ol'  THK  WAK. 

tile  office  lie  liad  so  iinwoi'tliily  filled,  li is  MUccessor — 
(reiieriil  Anustroiisj; — .m  soldier  who  |)ro))ei'ly  <'sti- 
iiiated  true  merit  aii<l  eiiiiiieiit  services,  made,  with 
the  [^resident's  sanction,  tlirou*::]!  John  Hullus,  Navy 
Ai^eiit  at  New  ^'ork,  a  proposition  for  Colonel  Wil- 
liams' return  to  the  head  of  the  Corps  of  Kiiii^ineers, 
with  the  lank  of  Major-(ienei'al,  which,  for  some 
unknown  reason,  was  not  carried  into  effect,  tliouuli 
Williams  had  intimated,  April  2\),  isia,  "that  such 
an  offer  could  not  he  declined  consistently  with  the 
sentiments  he  had  avowed  I'elative  to  the  service," 
j)articularly  as  the  u'overnment  by  its  late  acts  had 
"ac((niesced  in  the  principles  foi-  which  he  had 
contended." 

Hardly  had  Colonel  AMlliams  returned  to  private 
life  before  he  was  called  from  his  retirement  to  be- 
come the  executive  member  of  the  C^»mmittee  of 
Defense  of  the  Delaware  Kivt^r  and  Bay  for  the 
security  of  Philadelphia.  At  the  same  time  lie  was 
fre(|uently  consulted  res[)ectini;-  the  fortifications  of 
New  York  harbor;  nnuiy  thino;!^  relatiuii;  to  the  oMili- 
tary  Academy;  and  was  the  presidinix  director  of  the 
Lancaster  and  Schuylkill  Bridu'e  Company. 

In  the  autumn  of  ]S14,  General  Williams' feUow 
citizens  of  Philadelphia,  relyinij;  upon  his  superior 
abilities  and  varied  experience,  elected  him  to  Con- 
gress ;  but  lie  was  not  destined  to  add  a  statesman's 
reputation  to  that  of  a  useful  citizen,  a  firm  ])atriot, 
and  an  accomplished  soldier,  death  having;.  May  IH, 
1815,  removed  him,  at  the  ao-e  of  sixtv-five  to  a 
higher  reward  than  he  had  received  on  earth. 


A  I!. 


V   csti- 

0,  with 

1,  Niu-y 
el  Wil- 
;ineevs, 
r  some 
though 
i:it  such 

ith  the 
;ei'viee,'' 
cts  had 

he  had 


M 


»  private 
lit  to  be- 
littee  of 
for  the 
e  he  was 
itioiis  of 
the  ^nii- 
,or  of  the 

us'  feUow 
superior 
11  to  Coii- 
atesmaii's 
n  ■|)atriot, 
:,  May  16, 
-five  to  a 
th. 


K  Kl 


CHAPTER  SECOND. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  1812  ; 

WITH     A     HIOORAPHirAL    SKETCH     OF 

MAJOR-GENERAL  JOSEPH  G.  TOTTEN. 


AVhkx  War  was  declared  against  Great  Britain, 
June  18,  1812,  there  were  only  thirteen  P]ngineer 
(xraduates  of  tlie  ^Eilitary  Academy  m  the  Army, 
(^f  these,  some  were  occnitied  in  foi-tifvino-  the 
Atlantic  coast,  and  some  employed  as  instructors  at 
West  Point,  leaving  only  seven  available  for  service 
on  tlie  Canada  frontier,  where,  in  the  course  of  the 
war,  each  of  these  latter  gained  one  oi-  two  hrevets 
for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct.  Among  the 
most  distinguished  then,  and  in  his  sulisequent 
career,  was  the  otHeer  whose  hiographical  skettdi  is 
given  in  this  cha])ter. 

Josi:i>ii  GiLHKRT  T(rrTKX  was  born  in  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  August  28,  1788.  His  schoolmate — Ralph  Tn- 
gersoU — descril)es  him  as  a  bi-ight,  noble  youth,  of 
fine  mind,  fond  of  study,  and  alwaA's  at  the  head  of 
his  class,  gentlemanly  in  his  deportment,  and  greatly 
l)eloved.  He  entered  the  ^lilitary  Academy  Nov.  4. 
1802,  under  the  auspices  of  his  uncle,  Ca))tain  Jared 
^[anstield,  then  an  Acting  Professor  of  Mathematics 
at  AVest  Point ;  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
July  1,  180.-),  when  he  "was  promoted  to  be  a  Second 
Lieutenant   of    Engineers;    and    resigned    from    the 

U5 


66 


OAAIPAKJN    OI'    1812. 


Army  Mai'cli  31,  180(;,  to  at'i'ompany,  as  Secretary, 
his  uncle,  Captain  Mansfield,  wlio  liad  been  appointed 
by  President  Jefferson,  Surveyor-General  of  Ohio  and 
the  Northwest  Territory.  Yonng  Totten,  Feb.  28, 
1808,  re-entered  tlie  Corps  of  Engineers;  was  pro- 
moted to  be  a  First  Lientenant  July  28,  1810,  and 
Captain  July  81,  1812;  and  served,  till  the  outbreak 
of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain,  at  Castles  Williams 
and  Clinton,  then  under  construction,  for  the  defense 
of  New  York.  At  tlie  early  ai>:e  of  tAventv-four  lie 
became  the  Cliief  Engineer,  in  tlie  Campaign  of  1812, 
on  the  Nia2:ara  frontier  of  the  "  Army  of  the  Centre  " 
under  General  Van  Rensselaer, 

Tn  conducting  this  cam[)aign,  the  United  States 
attempted  to  invade  Canada  with  one  column  (Army 
of  the  Northwest)  crossing  the  Detroit  straits ; 
another  (Army  of  the  Centre)  passing  the  Niagara 
river;  and  a  third  (Army  of  the  North)  moving 
from  the  foot  of  Lake  Cliamjilain  to  threaten  Mon- 
treal;  besides  minor  isolated  o])erations  of  little 
importance. 

AmiY  OF  THE  Northwest. — Major-General  Hull, 
with  a  force  of  2,000,  chiefly  of  western  militia,  in 
excellent  health  and  spirits,  reached  Detroit,  his  base 
of  oi)erations,  seventeen  days  after  the  declaration 
of  war;  crossed  the  straits  into  Canada,  July  12, 
1812,  without  op[)osition;  found  the  ])opulation,  if 
not  friendly,  hardly  to  be  called  hostile;  was  almn- 
dantly  supplied  from  the  resonrces  of  the  country ; 
and  the  only  avow  ed  foe  Avas  at  Fort  Maiden,  scarce 
eighteen  miles  off  ])v  an  miolistructed  road.  Not- 
withstandinu'  these  fortuitous  circumstances  of  time, 


ma.i<>I!-(;i:m;i{ai.  .ioskimi  <;.  'iotikn. 


67 


place,  and  ivlativf  stiviiutli,  when  it  was  of  the 
utmost  importance  (piickly  to  strike  a  l)low  at  this 
in(lefensil)le  work*  witli  a  feeble  ijfarrison,  Ilnll, 
(luring  a  month,  did  nothinii;  hut  send  two  or  three 
unsupported  detachments  to  the  Canards,  a  small 
stream  four  miles  short  of  this  object ;  marched  back 
his  army  to  Detroit  on  the  Ttli  of  Auo-ust;  witli 
little  resistance  allowed  liimself,  by  the  defeat  of  his 
inade([uate  detacliments  sent  to  Bi'ownstown  and 
Maguao'o,  to  be  cut  from  liis  base  of  supplies ; 
capitulated  to  an  inferior  force  without  a  show  of 
o]>position  ;  and  to  crown  his  uns])eakable  (bsgrace, 
gave  up  a  well-armed  fort,  his  entire  army  and  the 
whole  of  Michigan  Territoiy,  thus  ending  liis  five 
weeks'  campaign  most  disastrously  to  our  arms. 

Akmv  of  Till-:  CEXTin:. — Early  in  Oct.,  1812,  we 
had  on  the  Niagara,  stretching  from  liake  P]rie  to 
Lake  (Ontario,  (),8()0  regulars  and  militia  ;  about  half, 
uu<ler  the  inunediate  command  of  ^Tajor-Geueral 
Stephen  \'an  IJensselaer,  l)eing  at  and  near  Lewis- 
ton,  N.  Y.  ( )n  the  morning  of  Oct.  l.Sth,  a  force  of 
'iOO,  half  I'egulars  and  half  militia,  was  to  cross  the 
Niagara  and  take  ])ossession  of  Queenstown  Heights, 
when  the  remaining  troops  were  to  follow  and 
<lrive  the  British  from  the  town.  Owing  to  the  in- 
sufiiciency  of  boats,  only  al)out  800,  mostly  i'egulars, 
made   the    first    crossing ;    scaled    the    steep    ascent 


*  A  train  of  heavy  arUUery  was  not  required  to  l)atter  a  l)reacii  for  tlie 
assault ;  it  was  not  necessary  to  ilre  a  single  <^u\\  ;  not  a  cartridge  need 
have  been  expended  ;  the  hayonet  alone  was  adeciuate  to  have  taken 
Maiden  at  any  hour  from  the  moment  the  American  army  crosf^d  into 
Canada  till  its  most  shameful  retreat.  T/ie  fort  was  not  enclosed .'  one 
entire  side  was  open  to  assault  ! 


nil 


68 


CAMPAKiX    ol'    1,^12. 


against  all  opposition  ;  stoi-med  mid  carried  the  redan 
battery  half  way  up  the  slope  ;  and  took  })ossession 
of  the  Heights  after  des])erate  fighting  with  the  rein- 
forcements from  Foi't  (xeorge,  under  Genei'al  Brock, 
wlio  was  killed.  For  hours  we  remained  masters  of 
the  position,  which  Cajitain  Totten  of  the  Engineers 
strengthened  by  every  means  at  hand  ;  while  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Winfield  Scott  (the  future  con([ueror  of 
Mexico),  anxiously  awaiting  reinforcements  from 
Lewiston,  brushed  away  a  body  of  Indians  which 
much  annoyed  him  ;  but  about  4  P,  M.  he  was  assailed 
by  the  whole  British  force  of  a  thousand  trooj^s 
(su2i})orted  by  their  savage  allies)  under  General 
Sheaife.  Van  Bensselaer  did  his  utmost  to  incbice 
the  militia  at  Lewiston,  by  stirring  appeals  to  theii* 
humanity  and  patriotism,  to  cross  the  Niagara  to 
support  their  conu'ades,  but  <'0)i>^fitiifion<il  scn/p/fs 
forbade  them  to  leave  their  State,  where  there  was 
no  enemy — or  rather  the  distant  smell  of  gunpowder 
paralyzed  the  honor  and  courage  of  these  poltro<uis, 
who  tremblingly,  fi'om  the  Americjui  shore,  \\atched 
the  inevitable  l)utchery  or  captivity  of  the  bi'ave  and 
devoted  band  on  Queenstown  Heights,  which,  after 
a  heroic  resistance,  was  compelled  to  ca])itulate  to  a 
greatly  superior  foe.  The  bearers  of  two  flags  of 
truce  having  been  shot  down  by  the  Indians,  Colonel 
Scott  himself,  fixing  a  white  cravat  on  the  ])oint  of 
his  sword,  and  accomjianied  by  Captains  (tibson  and 
Totten  (from  whose  neck  the  im})rovised  signal  of 
submission  was  taken),  marched  througli  a  shower 
of  Indian  bullets,  and  barely  escaped  the  knives  and 
tt)niahawks  of  two  savages,  who  leaped   like  tigers 


MA.lOlMiEXKHAL    .JOSEPH    <i.     nnTKX. 


69 


upon  them  from  the  road.  Unlmrt,  as  by  a  miracle, 
they  tinally  reached  General  Sheait'e,  to  whom  was 
suiTendered  our  whole  force  on  the  Canada  side  of 
the  river,  connistinii;  of  293  survivor^  of  the  fierce 
battles,  and  some  (300  skulkers,  who  had  done  no 
more  fighting  than  spectators  in  a  balloon  might  have 
claimed. 

This  second  invasion  of  Canada,  though  more 
creditable  to  our  arms,  was  as  unproductive  of  results 
as  Tlull's  ridiculous  promena«le  down  the  river  and  uj) 
again.  General  Van  Uensselaei',  <lisgusted  witli  the 
conduct  of  the  militia  at  Lewiston,  resigned  his  com- 
mission, and  was  succeeded  in  command  by  General 
Smyth.  Having  4,500  troops  about  Black  Kock, 
the  new  chief,  after  nnuiy  braggart  ordei's,  and  ])ro- 
claiming  his  anxiety  "  to  die  for  his  country,"  resolved 
to  invade  Canada  on  th?  mornini;  of  Xov.  29,  1812. 
Two  detachments,  one  of  regulars  and  seamen,  the 
other  of  volunteers,  were  sent  across  the  Niagara  to 
secure  a  landing  for  his  army,  which,  tliough  gal- 
lantly conducted,  failed  in  the  darkness,  through 
want  of  ])ro])er  concert  of  action,  to  effect  their  ob- 
ject. The  General-in-Cliief,  who  was  s])oiling  for  a 
fight,  notwithstanding  this  mishap,  order(Ml  his 
troo))s  to  man  their  boats  at  sunrist',  where  for  hours 
they  sat  shivering  in  the  cold  till  he  concluded  tliat 
l»y  Shrewsbury  clock  it  was  time  "  to  discnd)ark  ff/x/ 
<//'/!>%'  and  thus  spare  Canada  fnuu  the  smell  of 
villainous  saltpetre.  Soon  aftei',  in  a  duel  with  his 
subordinate,  (xeneral  P.  B.  Porter,  who  luul  accused 
him  of  c-owardice,  he  fired  his  only  shot  on  the 
Niagara,  which  fell  as  harndcss  to  his  antagonist  as 


70 


rAMPVIGN    OF    1S12. 


^.^'1 

^^!'l! 


his  tei'i'ihlr  tlireats  of  invasion  to  (•anuda.  Tlie  only 
other  event,  during  Smytli's  command  on  tliis  tVontiei', 
was  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Niagara,  Nov.  21, 1812, 
wliere  Lieut.-C(jlonel  W.  K.  iVrmistead,  Cliief  Engi- 
neer to  Major-Genera  1  Dearborn,  was  engaged. 

AuMY  OF  THE  North. — Major-General  Dearborn, 
in  comnniml  of  about  7,000  troops,  near  the  foot  of 
Ijake  Cham])laiu,  was  ordered  "not  to  lose  a  moment 
in  attacking  tlie  British  posts  in  his  front;"  yet  he 
tarried  till  Nov.  If),  1812,  l)ef<)re  moving  to  invade 
Canada;  crossed  the  frontier  toward  Odell  Town, 
with  3,0(»()  regulars  and  2,000  militia,  with  what  ulti- 
mate ol)ject  no  one  knew ;  confronted  a  mixed  British 
force  under  Lieut.-Colonel  De  Salal)erry  on  the  La 
Cole  ;  crossed  this  little  tributary  of  the  Sorel  on 
tlie  20th;  surrounded  a  block-house  fi'om  which  the 
small  uarrison  escai)ed  through  our  line;  enjoved  a 
brief  half-hour's  contest  with  some  New  York  militia, 
coming  from  another  direction,  before  finding  out  the 
mistake;  and  when  discovering  tlie  ival  enemy  in 
fi'ont,  both  detachments  beat  a  retreat,  to  return  to 
winter  (pmrters,  thus  ending  their  fruitless  expedition. 

The  operations  against  the  British  and  theii- 
Indian  allies  in  the  Xorthwest,  and  the  abortive 
winter  exi)editioii  in  1812-18  of  Major-General  Har- 
rison's arm}-  to  recover  Micliigan  Territory  w^ill  be 
described  in  the  next  chapter. 

From  the  foregoing  narrative  of  events,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  Cam])aign  of  1812,  from  begimiing 
to  end,  was  a  stupendous  blunder,  for  which  the 
War  Dejtartment  must  ])e  held  mainly  accountable. 

William  Kustis,  the  Sccretai'v  of  War,  was  doubt- 


MA.I<H:-(iKNEUAL    .lOSHPIf    (i,    TOTTKX. 


71 


less  a  worthy  gentleiiiaii  in  private  life,  and  had 
made  a  respectable  member  of  Congress  from  tlie 
State   of    Massachusetts;    but   lie    cei'tainlv    lacked 

ft' 

those  commanding  talents  and  enlarged  views  recj- 
uisite  to  a  wise  administration  of  the  AVar  Depart- 
ment in  a  u^reat  crisis.  AVhen  he  entered  President 
Madis(m's  Cabinet  in  1809,  though  war  was  im[)end- 
ing,  he  forgot  that  he  held  a  statesman's  place,  and 
was  content,  with  folded  arms,  to  ])lav  the  role  of  a 
party  demagogue.  During  his  three  years  in  otHce 
preceding  the  war,  he  pro])ose(l  no  adecpiate  meas- 
ures to  increase  our  armies;  he  asked  foi-  no  sufficient 
apjn'opriations  for  the  defense  of  our  coasts;  he 
failed  to  ])rovide  for  the  necessary  munitions  of  war; 
he  strangled  the  Military  Academy,  our  only  school 
for  educating  ofHcers;  he  sneered  at  all  judicious 
])lans  for  meeting  the  enemy ;  and  at  last  when 
roused  from  his  lethargy  l)y  actual  hostilities,  he  ex- 
])ected  Canada  to  be  con<[uered  by  1(»,(>00  raw  re- 
cruits, mostly  militia,  led  by  old  incompetent  gener- 
als exhiuued  from  the  llevolution. 

As  Secretary  of  War  he  was  ])riniarily  account- 
able for  the  [)lans  of  the  camj)aign,  and  the  means 
of  conducting  them  to  a  fortunate  issue,  which 
iiiN'olved  tlie  selection  of  the  po'tntx  of  attack,  the 
ihiio  for  makinsi:  tliem,  the  fonu-  to  command  success, 
and  the  apjwintinent  of  skilful  generals  to  ensure 
victory. 

I^oiXTs  OK  A'lTACK — British  America,  in  its  mil- 
itary relations  to  the  United  States,  may  be  assimi- 
lated to  ti  tree,  of  which  Halifax  is  the  fajj-roof, 
<v)uebec  the  sfxt/ijt,  Montreal  the  truiil;  Niagara  river 


72 


CAMVAiay    OK    1812. 


tlie  /o//\^/'  linihs,  aiifl  the  U2)per  Lukes  the  fop 
hrmwhes.  To  sever  the  tap-root  Ih  to  aniiiliihite  the 
tree;  curtail  it  to  tlie  stump  and  little  is  left;  cut- 
tiiiii;  the  ti'uiik  aiujmtates  tlie  brandies  ;  but  lopping; 
ott'  its  linil)s  simply  mars  its  l)eaiity  and  inilicts  only 
temporary  wounds.  Therefore  to  possess  ourselveH 
of  British  America,  it  was  necessary  to  aim  our 
blows  at  the  lower  not  the  higher  points. 

Halifax,  the  lowest  of  these  points,  with  its  large 
dock-yanl,  ample  arsenal,  and  excellent  jtort,  was 
the  great  rendezvous  and  [»i'inci|>al  American  sta- 
tion of  British  naval  ])ower;  it  was  the  bastion  jut- 
ting into  the  ocean  from  which  England  could  |»roject 
her  shi])s  of  war,  like  missile  wea])ons,  upon  the 
wings  of  every  wind,  to  flank  our  entire  Atlantic 
coast ;  and  it  was  the  citadel  of  Britain's  strength, 
never,  like  the  ice-bound  St.  Lawrence,  closed  to  her 
assistance.  By  seizing  it  the  naval  power  of  Eng- 
land in  America  would  be  ])aralyzed,  one  of  lier 
great  nurseries  of  seamen  destroyed,  and  Canada  cut 
off  from  all  su[)portof  the  mother  country.  C  ertainly 
Halifax  in  1812,  with  its  small  ])o])ulatioii  and  feeble 
fortifications,  was  not  so  ditficult  a  coiKpiest  as  was 
Louisbiirg  in  1745,  when,  without  British  troo])s, 
the  gallant  Peperell,  with  his  brave  New  Englaiid- 
ers,  ca])ture(l  that  well-armed  and  strongly  gai'risoned 
fortress,  built  at  enormous  cost,  and  with  all  the 
skill  of  Erencli  engineering  art.  When  it  was  pro- 
j)()sed  by  Major  Jesiij)  (subsecpiently  Quartermaster- 
( General  of  our  army)  to  deal  here  a  death-blow  to 
British  |)ower  in  America,  Secretary  Eustis  sneered  at 
it,  merely  remarking  that  'Mt  was  a  very  pretty  ])lan." 


mar 

fccli 

(■(.111 

lean 

half 
111  1 ' 

III  1 
'\ 

l.y(i 

«>iil\ 

till    1 

f{y  tl 

lean 

tlie  e 

.MAJOK-GENKRAL    .(OSKI'II    (i.    Tn'ITEX. 


73 


(^iH'lx'c  was  tlic  next  vital  |)<)iiit  tlii'<>ui;li  w  liicli 
to  attack  I)i'itisli  America.  W'olfVs  aniiy,  in  17')!), 
liad  A\  rciiclicd  it  from  tlie  Frencli  by  n  sinu:le  battle 
ill  its  front;  and,  in  1775,  it  j)i'ol)ably  would  have 
been  cai'ried  by  assault  by  oui'  liandful  of  Kevolu- 
tionary  heroes,  had  the  ])oints  of  attack  been  better 
selected,  Arnold  tlie  leadei-  of  one  stoi'miny'  column 
not  ])('en  wounded,  and  Mont^'omery  the  leader  of 
the  other  not  been  killed.  Certainly  to  ivach  it,  in 
j.sl'j,  Avas  a  much  less  ditlicult  enterprise  than 
Arnold's  memorable  march  throu<j::h  tlie  wilderness 
of  Maine  In  1  77r). 

Montreal,  the  third  most  important  point  in 
British  America,  had  ca|>itulated  to(ieneral  iVmherst 
ill  17<)<»,  and  was  captured  by  a  small  body  of  our 
("oiitinental  Army  in  177.").  The  Sorel  river,  by 
which  it  was  directly  aj)])roached,  had  been  the 
theati'e  of  active  opei'ations  in  every  can i])aiLin  from 
the  heirinninu' of  the  old  French  war  till  Buro'oyne 
marched,  in  1777,  to  his  surrender  at  Saratoga.  The 
feeble  I^ritish  force,  on  this  im|)ortant  strategic  line, 
could  not  have  been  any  serious  obstacle  to  Amer- 
ican invasion  in  1.S12,  had  it  been  conducted  with 
half  the  ente)-])ris(^  of  A[ontgomery''s  ex])edition 
in  1  77."). 

The  Niagara  (oi'  rather  the  fort  of  that  name  built 
hy  the  French  in  1 750  at  the  river's  mouth,)  had  been 
only  a  small  link  in  the  chain  of  British  operations 
till  I75i>,  when  the  fort  fell  into  their  ])ossession. 
By  the  Ti-eaty  of  Pai'is,  in  17'S;i,  it  became  an  Amer- 
ican ])ost,  and  had  some  importance  in  commanding 
the  enti'ance  to  the  river  from  Lake  Ontario  ;  but  it, 


!l    ' 


<4  CAMl'AKJN    OI'    1812. 

and  ])()iiitH  liiu'licr  up  tlu*  stream  were  of  little  eoiise- 
(jueiu'e  ill  tlie  attack  of  Canada. 

Detroit  and  Mackinaw  had  no  niilitary  value 
ex('e|)t  as  i^ood  positions  for  the  coniniand  of  the 
water  cojimninicatiidis  to  the  ni>l>er  Lakes. 

Secretary  Kustis,  thonuh  no  soldier,  must  have 
read  enoUi;']i  of  the  iiiilitai'v  history  of  the  wars  in 
C^anada  to  know  that  British  America  was  not  to  \h' 
destroyed  hy  strikinji;  at  the  twigs  and  branches  of 
the  tree  to  which  we  likened  the  enemyV  territory 
aloni::  our  northern  frontier ;  yet,  he  sanctioned  the 
invasion  of  Canada  fi'oni  Detroit  Straits,  Niau'ara 
River,  and  Lake  Chani])lain,  j)oints  about  4(><>  miles 
apart,  nn'asured  on  tlie  nearest  roads.  As  we  have 
seen,  this  resulted  in  TLilI's  aboi'tive  effort  and  in'iio- 
minioiis  surrender  of  Fort  Detroit,  his  army,  and 
ALichio'an  territory,  without  pulliuLC  a  triu'u'er;  \'an 
Kensselaer\s  and  SmytlTs  disij;race'fiil  failures  on  the 
Niasjfara;  and  Dearborn's  i»:rand  strateu'ic  maivli  from 
Lake  Chainplain  to  ca])tiire  a  small  block-house,  and 
return  with  his  laurels  to  winter  (piarters. 

Ti.MK    OK    Attack. — -The     principal     advantairt' 


accruing'  to  a  nation,  which  is  the  first  to  declare 
war,  is  that  of  sekH'tini>;  its  /////(^  as  well  as  itsyx///// 
of  attack.  War  \vith  (Ireat  i^ritain  had  been  f(»r 
years  an  almost  certainty;  yet  Avheii  declared,  iittle 
])reparation  had  been  made  at  once  to  strike  a  deadly 
blow.  On  that  day,  June  IS,  1S12,  Secretary  Kustis 
wrote  two  letters  to  (leneral  Hull,  then  se])arated 
from  the  froiitiei'  by  one  Inindred  miles  of  wilder- 
ness, instead  of  l)eing  on  it  ready  for  action.  Tn 
one  of  these  letters  no   mention    \vas  made  of  the 


or 


AIA.IolMiKNKIJAL    J(VSK|«II    <;.    'I'oTTKX. 


<•) 


(IccH.'iratioii  of  \v;ii*;  in  tlu'  otlicr  it  was  distinctly 
iiiul  ortifially  aiin()iiiR'('(l.  Tlie  foi'iiicr  was  carefully 
(l('sj)atcluMl  by  a  s])('cial  niessciiu-ci',  wlillc  tlic  latter 
was  sent  ])y  the  ofdinai'y  mail.  Tlie  result  was  that 
the  n<itice  of  the  declaration  of  war  did  not  reach 
its  destination  ////  <i</hf  dans,  aftrr  If  iiuix  rfcdrcd  Inj 
tin  (Hciinj,  niidcr  tJie  fr<nik((l  (iirdojn-  of  oiii-  oim 
Sccrddrii  of  the  l)-<<(sii rii.  In  conse([nence  of  this 
tai'<ly  and  inexcusable  transmittal  of  the  most  vital 
information,  I  lull's  sick  and  convalescents,  1  >au'ii;aij^e, 
stores,  intrenchini;'  to(»ls,  army  retui'ns,  and  s;(>vei'n- 
inent  instructions,  sent  l)v  water  ///  iiilraiicc  of  h'm 
troojhs^  wt'i'e  all  ca])tured  o|)])()site  Maiden,  by  a 
liritish  subaltern  with  six  men  ;  and  tlie  comman- 
dant of  St.  Jose[)hs,  with  thirty  reu'ulars  and  a  rabble 
of  enu'aii"'''es  and  savages,  was  enabled  to  take  ])os- 
session  of  oui'  fort  at  Mackinaw,  without  even  a 
formal  refusal  to  surrender. 

Wdien  the  attempted  invasion  of  (^anada  was 
finally  essayed,  instead  of  beimi;  made  at  one  ])oint, 
or  simultaneously  tVoni  the  several  selected,  the 
Deti'oit  was  crossed  July  I'Jth  by  Hull  ;  the  Niaji:ara 
at  (^ueenstowu  Oct.  l.'Uh  by  \'an  Ivensselaer,  and 
au'ain,  Nov.  LMlth,  by  Smyth's  van»i'uard  ;  and  not  till 
Nov.  KJtli  did  Dearboi'n  move  from  l^ake  Chamj)lain 
u|»on  that  formidable  l)lock-liouse  on  tlie  La  Cole. 
'i'liis  ne<j::lect  of  synchronous  movements  enabled 
lirock  to  o|)]»ose  Hull  with  his  whole  J^ritish  force 
on  the  Detroit,  and  move  ])ack  to  the  Xiairai'a  in 
time  to  defeat  Van  Rensselaer  at  (^ueensto.wn  ; 
Sheaife,  liis  successor  in  command,  to  rendei- abortive 
Smyth's  projected  invasion  from   Hlack  Hock;   and 


ill  I 


CAMI'AKi^'    Ol"    lftl2. 


Dc  S;ilal»('n'y's  smnll  Unvv  to  iiidiK-t'  DcarlxM'ii  to 
yi('I<l  liis  (IrcniMs  of  coiKiiicst  for  ('oiiifortal)l('  ^villteI• 
(HiMi'tt'is  oil  liakc  Cliaiiiplain. 

FoKCK  FOI5  AriAcK. — Tlic  tliii-d  t'lciiiciit  of  tlie 
('aiii|)aiii;n  was  i\w  fo/'r<  to  Ix*  ('iMj)Ioy«'(l.  Wlicii  tlie 
war  was  declaivd,  Hull  had  2,0(i(»  ti'ooi)s  of  all  anus, 
mostly  militia  and  volunteers;  the  returns  of  Se]»t.  12, 
1S12,  sli<»\\,  within  Dearlxn'n's  eouunand  on  tlie 
Nia<!:ara  and  Lake  (lianijtlain,  a  force  of  I  .S,000. 
Tlie  Britisli  reu'ulars  at  tlie  same  time  were  ahout 
4, ;■)(>(»,  whieh,  with  a  lai'Lirer  numl)er  of  (anadiaii 
militia  and  Indian  allies,  were  scattered  fioni  (^)u<'l»cc 
to  Lake  Sii])erior.  Ljum  the  outbreak  of  war,  had 
an  army,  even  (»f  l.S, ()()(»,  been  led  1)V  a  skilful  u'en- 
eral  aij^aiust  our  weaker  antau'onist  on  a  single,  instead 
of  three  or  four  )>oints  of  the  frontier,  oiu'  invasion 
of  (Canada  must  have  been  a,  success,  and  a  peace 
have  been  cou(|Uered  in  a  short  cam])aii;n  ;  for  the 
British  could  oppose  but  few  reii:ulars,  the  boi'der 
Indians  weiv  neutral,  the  Canadiaus  were  disposed  to 
be  friendly,  the  mother  country  was  completely  sur- 
prised bv  our  declaratiou  of  hostilities,  and  (ireat 
Britain  was  wholh-  absorbed  in  herinii^dity  struiiude 
with  the  Conijueror  of  Europe. 

Ainiv  Commanders. — The  last,  and  not  the  least 
im])ortant  element  of  the  cam] )aii»:n  was  the  selection 
of  GencndK.  Instead  of  choosinjj^  yonno;,  active  and 
enterprisino;  leaders  for  onr  armies,  like  Brown,  Jack- 
son, Scott,  (laines,  Williams,  vSwift,  McRee,  Jesu}), 
Totten,  Wood,  Kearny,  Thayer,  etc.,  such  men  were 
ap]>ointed  to  high  commands  as  Hull,  Harrison, 
Dearborn,   Smyth,    Chandler,     Winder,    Bloomfield, 


MA.TOR-OENERAL    .TOSKPH    (i.    TO'ITKX. 


Winchester,  etc.  ;  some,  i^my- 1  leaded  veterans,  whose 
faculties  were  l)eniini])e(l  by  tin*  fVosts  of  a<i,'e ;  some 
who  had  never  set  a  S((uadi'oM  in  the  flehl  ;  some  dis- 
tiiiii'iiislied  onlv  for  inactivity  and  l)ai"i'enness  of 
mind;  some  whose  names  weiv  weihled  to  disaster; 
and  none  who  won  a  sinti'le  hiurel  in  tlie  campaiu'n. 

CoN('Lrsn>N. — -Sucli  was  the  inii-h)rions  fiasco  <»f 
isl'J,  for  wliicli  William  Eustis,  as  Secivtary  of 
W  ai",  was  mainly  res|)onsi])le.  Instead  of  conqn*'!'- 
inu'  a  peace  in  a  few  weeks  hy  one  viuorous  l)low  at 
the  vitals  of  the  enemy,  luirdly  i-onsed  to  the  exist- 
ence of  tlie  war,  he  l)ei^an  hostilities  without  [»re])- 
aratioii  or  any  knowledu'e  of  the  oj)|)osiniL;'  force  ; 
connnunicated  our  declaration  of  war  to  the  foe 
l)efore  makinu;  it  known  to  our  own  comnuuiders; 
selected  senile  and  inert  u'enerals  to  lea<l  our  armies, 
composed  maiidy  of  raw  recruits;  scattered  our 
foi'ces  over  a  thousand  miles  of  frontiei-  without 
nuitual  sup])ort  or  concert  of  action  ;  neo'lected  to 
draw  in  the  garrisons  from  isolated  and  distant  posts 
exposed  to  capture;  permitted  the  enemy  to  concen- 
trate with  ini])unity  to  repulse  ourtlireatened  attacks; 
assailed  the  least  vital  points  instead  of  dealing 
hlows  at  the  heai-t  of  the  adversai'y  ;  consumed  six 
months  in  fruitless  efforts  when  a  single  battle,  \>\ 
the  mass  of  our  force  at  the  ti'ue  objective  j)oint, 
\\<»uld  have  decided  the  contest ;  commenced  ojiera- 
tioiis  in  a  sj)irit  of  palti-y  ])arsimony  and  ended  with 
lavish  and  unjustifiable  i)i-()(ligality  ;  and,  in  fine, 
tarnislied  our  arms  with  a  succession  of  defeats, 
made  blundei's  that  were  crimes,  and  inflicted  deep 
disgrace  u[)on  the  nation  which   two  years  more  of 


78 


CAMPAKiN    OF    1812. 


war  soiU'coly  cifact'd.  Had  a  (*ai'ii<>t  or  Stanton  beoii 
Minister  of  War,  citlicr  Halifax  would  have  Ikhmi 
vii^'oroiisly  uttucked,  as  iirojxisrd  by  Jcsuj) ;  or  (^)u(d)('(' 
In'eii  carried  as  by  AN'olfe's  arni\  in  17.")*.);  or  Mon- 
treat  Ijeen  (•a[>tured  as  ])y  Montu'oniery  in  ITT.")",  and 
tlie  c'ani])aii;n  liave  liad  a  glorious  issue.  But  Seere- 
tary  Kustis,  iunorant  of  the  iirst  I'udinients  of  tlu' 
military  ])rofession,  projxtsed  tryiiiu'  to  kill  tlie 
Hi'itisli  Lion  by  piiieliing  liis  tail  at  Detroit,  oi-  pull- 
iiiu'  his  mane  on  tlie  Niaii;ara.  Ilis  stujuMidous  folly 
culuiinated  iu  the  captui'e  of  Mackinaw;  the  massa- 
cre at  Foi't  Dearborn  ;  tlie  desti'uction  of  Nan  Iloi-n's 
deiacliment  by  Tecumseh  ;  the  siirrendei'  of  Michi- 
Territorv  and   an  arni\    at   Detroit,  unparalleled 


iraii 


by  tlie  car-itulation  of  Ulm  (»r  Heylen  ;  the  niisei'able 
faibires  to  ci-oss  the  Tsiauara  at  Lewiston  and  lihudv 
Hock:  the  ]>itiful  miscarriap'  of  Dearborn  near 
Lake  C'hain])lain  ;  aud  the  absurd     vintei-  march  of 


11 


u'l'ison  s 


1' 


'SS      ( ) 


f     w'estei'ii     cln\  alr\' ""    for    the 


recovery  of  De'troit,  in  violation  of  every  military 
])rinci|)le,  and  successful  only  as  ji  magniticeiit  raid 
upon  the  Ti'easui'y,  Chaos  reiu:ned  supreme  till  the 
cani})aii'"n  closed  in  total  ecli])se,  without  one  redeem- 
m<f  feature  to  raise  it  above  the  utter  contempt  of 
military  criticism. 

Such  an  accuuuilation  of  disasters  was  justly 
visited  by  an  in(b<i;nant  and  outi'au'ed  public  upon 
the  chief  authoi' oF  all  our  woes — Secretary  Lustis — 
^^■ho  \vas  waitei'  ujton  by  a  committee  of  (\)nii:;ress- 
nieii  of  his  own    party,  and   compelled  to  teiKJer  his 


resiu'nation, 
President. 


•hicl 


1  was  imme( 


liatel 


N"  acc 


ept 


e«l 


!l\' 


tl 


le 


MA.TOK-OF.XKnAL    JOSKI'II    (;.    ToTTHX. 


70 


We  liave  dwelt  so  loiio'  in  narrjitiiiLi'  nud  c-riticis- 
m^f  this  (•Minpain'ii,  tlint  we  must  uivnt'';  ;il>i'i(lu«' 
what  we  had  to  say  of  (^a])taiii  Totteii,  who  was  in 
no  way  i'es|)oiisil)h'  foi'  the  [)hin  of  military  o}H'ra- 
tions  in  lSli>.  Upon  the  ivsiu-nation  of  (reiiend 
\'an  Rensselaer,  he  was  transfViTed  as  Chief  Enu'i- 
neer  to  the  Ai-my  of  tlie  Xoi'th,  under  (xenerai  Dear- 
horn,  who,  in  the  sj)i'inij:  ">f  l''^l''*>,  assend)led  4,000 
ti'oo[)s  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario,  with  which  it 
was  desiii-ned  to  land  in  I)Ui-lini''ton  \h\\ :  then  to 
take  in  rexerse  all  tlie  British  (h'fei>ses  alonii'  tlie 
XiaL!;ara  river,  and  eut  theii"  coiiiniunieations  with 
Kinii'ston  and  Montreal.  In  earryini^'  out  this  ]>i'oj. 
eet.  Fort  (ireoia'e,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara,  liad 
Hrst  to  l>e  captured,  an  opei'ation  which  was  ])rill- 
iantly  executed  ^^ay  '27,  isl.'i.  Here  Totten  so 
(listinn'uished  himself  as  an  enu'ineei',  that  the  com- 
mandinu"  (ieneral  stronu'ly  conuiiended  him,  with 
only  four  othei-s,  to  the  W  ar  I)e])artn'.ent  Un'  "  theii- 
judicious  and  skilful  execution  in  destroyiuii:  tlie 
enemyV  hattei'ies."  Ai^-ain,  June  (»tli,  in  the  I'epulse 
of  the  Hiitisli  flotilla  on  Lake  ( )utario,  nuich  of  the 
damaii'e  was  due  to  the  hot  shot  heated  in  a  furnace 
he  had  improvised  at  rlie  mouth  of  Foi'ty-mile  (  Veek. 
For  his  "  mei'itorious  serxices,"  in  this  last  operation, 
he  was  l>i"e\'ette(l  a  ^Ltjor,  thouu'h  he  had  won  that 
honor  ten  days  l)cfore  at  Fort  (reor^'e.  When  Dear- 
li<»iii  was  recalled,  July  l.Vh,  Totten,  ha\  in;^'  c»>m- 
l)leted  the  defenses  of  our  cam])  at  Foi't  (Jeoru-e, 
joined  Colonel  Swift,  Wilkinson's  Chief  Fni^'ineei', 
at  Sackett's  ILirhoi',  as  his  assistant  in  the  St.  Law- 
nnice  cuui[)aigu,  which  terniiuated   November   14tli. 


:  «».■.'.  ■..„.-^" 


80 


CAMI»AI(iX    OK    1812. 


Tliree  d.'iys  nftei",  <»ii  the  departin't'  <>f  ('oloiicl  Swift 
w  itli  dlspatclies  to  ^Vasllill^•toll,  Tottcii  was  left  as  t  lit' 
C'liicf  Knu'iiieer  of  W  ilkinsoii's  army.  Here,  at 
Freiicli  Mills,  on  the  Salmon  I'iver,  he  built  and  for- 
tified the  winter  (luai'ters  of  the  left  winu'  of  the 
Northern  Army,  aiid  then  pixteeeded  to  do  the  same 
at  Chateauuay  Four-eornei'S,  for  tlie  riu'lit  wini;'  under 
IIam|>lon. 

Wilkinson  after  l»i'eakinu'  u))  his  cantoiunent  at 
Freneh  Mills,  took  ])ost  at  Plattshui'u'  Kel).  ir)th,  to 
t)])en  (lie  eampaii;n  of  1S14  against  the  British,  who 
threatened  the  same  o[)eration  as  was  attempted  l>y 
Iiui'go}ne  in  1  777,  by  Lake  Cliam[>lain  and  the  Hud- 
son, thus  to  cut  off  New  Kngland,  sujtposed  to  be  disaf- 
fected, from  the  I'est  of  the  I'nion.  To  meet  and 
frustrate  such  efforts,  countervailing  measures  were 
adopte*!,  Totteii  being  sent  to  fortify  a  ]>osition  near 
Rouse's  Point,  to  prevent  the  I^ritish  s(pia<lron  at 
St.  John's  from  getting  into  Lake  ("hamplain  ;  but, 
))efore  the  defenses  could  be  built,  'J, 500  Uritish  trooj 
were  concenti'ated  at  La  C\)le  Mill,  south  of  Ivouse's 
Point.  \\'ilkins()n,  March  .".<»th,  moved  with  4,(MKi 
men  to  dislodge  the  enemy  fiom  this  strong  stone 
structure.  At  first  he  was  successful,  but,  having 
no  l>reaching  artillei'y  and  its  garrison  l)eing  rein- 
forced, lie  withdrew,  terminating  with  this  inglori(»us 
affair  his  active  military  career. 

iMaioi'-CJeneral  (Jeoru'c  Izard  succeeded  \\  ilkin- 
son  on  tlie  Champlain  fi-ontier.  Major  Totten  ])eing 
liis  Cliief  Lngineer.  Hy  the  middle(»f  .[un*'  1m'  had 
disposed  his  tr(»ops  for  a  movement  into  ("ana<ia, 
b{.>th    armed    belliLTeivnts   ])einu"  eau'cr   for   the    fra\. 


IS 


MAJOR-GENERAL    .TOSEI'Tl    (i.    TCVrTEN. 


81 


Skiriiiisliiiiu-  along  tlie  Ixtrdcr  was  of  frcMjiU'iit  occiu'- 
reiicc,  and  4,r)()(>  of  our  ti'ov>|)s  wtn-e  at  CMianiplain, 
wltliin  five  miles  of  (/anada;  l)ut  already  Naj)oleon 
w  'led  to  Kn)a,and  \\'ellinii;toirs  veterans, released 

fr(...i  Spain,  were  ai'ri\  inii;  at  Monti'eal,  and  soon 
after  wei'e  pourint:;  down  the  Sorel  in  overwlielniinin' 
force  foi"  tlie  contemplated  inxasion  of  our  territory. 
At  this  ci'itical  moment,  almost  as  if  in  aid  of  the 
enemy's  design,  I/ard   was  ordered   to  tlie   Niagara, 


MORTAR    BATv 


DEFENSE  OF  PLATTSBURG 
1814 


,i  rf  \   CHURCH  ruL       ^c 


MV\    rORT   MOREA 


,j"^  PLATTSBURG 
F,  SCOTT  ^*^->^  PLATTS3URC     «K.N£  M.wV.V  V,  ^^:\ 

^n,     ^"S.v  'J""  "=^.,    -—-  ;  MM  I  ( 'BA Y) ) ! ;  i))i;;J 

'— V.V  r.  j:i  1  ::j  I  Ti  caboim        '     |N'A\\\\\->      i  ■  i     If'//"  H 


r 


for  which  he  departed  with  4,<>0(i  ti()oj)s,  Aug.  iMlth, 
leaviuLi'  Brig.-denei'al  Macoml»,  his  successor,  with 
the  care  of  his  sick,  an<l  scai'ce  l,*iO(»  (>tfecti\e  men 
t(»  defend  Piatt's  Point  and  ('uml)ei'land  Head,  and 
to  hold  Provost's  14, <»(»()  veterans  at  hay.  Macond>, 
till  1S1l>  a  Lieutenant-Colonel  <»f  Kngineei's,  well 
knew  how  vital  to  oui'  cause  was  tlie  successful 
defense  of   IMattshuig,  f<»i' that  p(>int  passed,  all   was 


^tti» 


■■  r-^ 

82 


CAMI'AKiX    OF    1R12. 


ojHMi  to  tlic  Hudson;  luMUH'  lie  sti'.'liiHMl  every  muscle 
to  iiic'i'ease  Lis  forc'(!  witli  New  ^'ol'k  and  Vermont 
\<>liniteei's,  wlille  Totten  toiled  day  and  nii;lit  to 
complete  his  fortiHeations.  These  consisted  of  a 
strong  redoubt  and  batteries  on  ('um])erland  Head;* 
Forts  Hi'own,  Moreau,  and  Scott,  protecting  tlie  neck 
of  tlie  j)eninsula  between  the  Saranac  and  Lake 
('haiui)lain  ;  and  several  block-houses  and  many 
batteries  along  the  river  and  shoi'es  of  l^latts))ui'g 
l)ay.  We  do  not  ])ropose  here  to  detail  our  doubles 
victory  which  followed  on  the  lltli  of  Se]»tember 
when  the  bold  ^Nlacdonough  beat  the  supei'ior  Brit- 
ish Heet,  and  the  gallant  jNIacomb,  behind  his  en- 
ti'enchments,  defeated  and  comj)elled  the  retreat  of 
I*rovost's  vetei'an  army  of  thi'ice  his  force. 

*  Tlio  forlilyinij  of  tliLs  posilioii  to  prevoiit  the  oiiomy's  entranco  into 
Ti;ik(^  Chiiiniiliiin,  was  ordcrod  by  (leiicral  Izanl  ai;'aiiist  tlio  advici;  of  the 
Secretary  of  War  and  tlio  cariu'st  protest  of  Major  Totten,  who  .strongly 
reconiniended  the  occupation  of  Rouse's  Point,  whicii,  says  Izard,  July  12, 
rs  14,  to  tlie  War  Department,  "has  been  long  an  object  of  my  attentu)n. 
Jt  is  admirably  situated  for  the  establishment  of  a  heavy  battery,  wliich 
would  command  the  passa,i;e  of  the  lake  at  its  narrowest  part  ;  liut  there 
is  not  room  for  defensive  works  in  its  rear,  and  its  immediate  vicinity  to 
the  enemy's  principal  post,  at  La  Cole  (now  surrounded  l)y  intrenchments), 
would  mak(^  its  occupation  very  hazardiuis.  The  (lueslion  next  lay  between 
Poinl-aux-Itoclies  and  Cuml)erland  Head.  I  have  decided  in  favor  of  the 
hitter."  After  the  War  of  isfi-l')  Colonel  Totten,  writiiii;-  to  (Jeneral  Arm- 
stroii;;'  .Vu::;usL  <S,  18:iS,  on  this  subject,  says  :  "There  was  ground  enough 
in  the  rear  of  Rouse's  Point  for  small  works,  and  for  such  a.'^  would,  with  an 
aiie<|iiate  garrison,  defend  the  position  against  great  enterprises,  and  even 
a  siei^e.  Having  no  faith  in  the  power  of  any  works  on  Cumberland  Head, 
capalile  of  impeding  or  materially  injuring  a  passing  srpiadron,  I  felt 
bound  in  conscience  to  slate  my  views  to  the  (ieneral,  bittthomjli  ini/  oppo- 
sition  irns  eiinics/,  it  iras  in  rain.  I  do  not  now  see,  and  never  have  sup- 
posed, that  there  was  anything  in  the  vicinity  of  La  Cole  Mill,  or  in  the 
character  of  its  garrison,  to  rtMider  the  occupation  of  Rouse's  Point  hazard- 
ous to  our  army."  The  sami'  views  were  expressed  August  5,  IH'iX,  by  (Jen- 
eral  Swift,  formerly  Chief  Hngineer  U.  S.  Army. 


MA.TOi;-(iKNKRAL    JOSEPTI    (i.    TOT'I'KX. 


83 


Tims  ended  tlie  Imttle  of  l*l;itts])uro;,  and  tlio 
second  Invasion  of  the  State  of  Xew  York.  In  his 
ottieial  dispatch  to  tlie  War  I  )ej)ai'tnient  liivini;;  an 
account  of  this  signal  victoiy,  tlie  coinniandinu'  u'en- 
cral  "  I'ecoinniends  t(»  the  particnhir  notice  of  tlie 
u'oN  ernnu'iit  "  « le\en  oiHcers  who  had  "distinu'uished 
themselves  1)\  their  uncommon  zeal  and  activity, 
and  had  Leeii  ureatly  instrnmental  in  jn'odncinu'  the 
haj)]»y  and  uioi'ions  results  of  the  sieii'e.""  Of  these 
elex'en,  fliiur  wci'e  the  otiicers  of  engineers — I'otteii 
the  chief,  and  Delviissy  and  '^Frescot  his  assistants — • 
all  of  wliMiii  wei'e  brevetted  for  theii'  "  uallant  con- 
duct at  the  battle  of  Plattslairu-."  After  his  skill 
and  labors  had  gixtMi  such  eminent  results  to  his 
country,  B\  t.  Lieut.-Colonel  Totten  joined  (Jenei'al 
Izard  on  the  Niagara,  s(»on  after  the  successful  soi'tie 
from  Fort  Erie.  This  fort  Ix'ing  of  no  fui'thei'  use  to 
us,  Totten,  with  the  saiu-tion  of  the  general,  mined  it, 
and  Nov.  ."ith  laid  it  in  ruins — one  of  the  last  acts  of 
this  War  aiiiU list  (\'iiiada. 

'^rotteifs  military  experience,  with  his  mathemat- 
ical training  at  West  Point  a<lmiral»ly  1itte(l  one  of 
his  acute  intellect  for  \\  hat  was  destined  to  l»e  the 
great  labor  of  liis  life — planning  and  constructing 
sea-coast  fortifications. 

During  the  Kevolutioii  some  of  <nir  more  imi)or- 
lant   harbors  had  l)eeii   fortitied  with   feeble  earthen 


works,  and  from  that  time  till  the  v\ 


ose  o 


f  tl 


le  secoiK 


war  with  (ireat  liritain,  many  sm;dl,  weak  and  ill-de- 
sio'iie(l    forls    and    batteries   were    built    b\-    foreiufii 


engineers    in    our   service,   oT   clieap   and   ])eri 


f   ch 


(1 


diabh 


materials 


Tl 


le    on 


ly 


ariie    casern 


iited 


wor 


was 


lit 


84 


ca:\ipaign  of  I812. 


Castle  AVilliaiiis,  on  the  M(»ntal('iiil)ei-t  system,  built 
in  1<S()7-1U,  in  New  York  liarboi'. 

A  peniiaiient  Board  of  Engineers  was  created 
Nov.  1(),  1810,  (leiieral  Bernard,  the  great  constriic- 
ter  of  tlie  citadel  of  Antwer[)  under  Xa))oleon,  being 
at  its  head,  with  Colonel  Mcliee  and  Lieut.-C(jlonel 
Totten  nienil)ers,  to  which  was  contided  the  labor  of 
woi'kingout  the  funihiniental  principh^s  and  elaboi'a- 
ting  the  projects  for  durable  works  to  (h^'end  oui' 
entire  sea-coast.  The  masterly  re[)orts  of  this  l)oard, 
most  of  them  written  by  Totten,  laid  down  the 
great  principles  of  National  Defense  so  forcibly  and 
incontestibly  that  they  have  ever  since  been  the  safe 
gnides  to  all  succeeding  boards;  and,  though  often 
ably  attacked,  have  stood  firm  against  all  assaults. 
Till  1888,  when  Totten  became  Cliief  Engineer  of 
the  Army,  he  continued  most  of  his  time  on  the 
Hoard  of  Engineers,  though  after  1825  he  was 
also  the  constructer  of  Fort  Adams,  Newj)oi't  har. 
bor,  R.  I.,  the  second  woi'k  in  area  in  the  United 
States,  and  the  first  in  its  c()nd)ination  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  details  of  the  art  of  fortification.  When 
this  fort  was  conunenced,  little  was  known  of  build- 
ing great  structures  in  this  countiy  ;  hence  he 
had  to  make  numerous  ex))ei'iments  to  test  the  (|ual- 
ities  and  adaptabilities  of  almost  evei'y  kind  of 
matei'ial. 

Besides  these  military  \voi"ks,  he  was  often  called 
ui)on  to  devise  and  direct  harboi'  an.d  river  im|)rove- 
ments,  and  other  important  civil  constructions  for 
the  (rovei'nment.  States,  Cities  and  (\)ri)orations; 
and,  as  Chief  Engineer,  was  ex-otHcio  Insj)ectorof  the 


.^•stj**' 


MA.r<)R-OEXKRAL    .KtSKril    (i.    TO'n'EX. 


S;-) 


Militiiry  AcjultMiiy,  liaviiiii'  cliai'ii'c  <»f  tlic  fjoiiernl 
direction  (»f  tlic  institution, 

Foi-  twenty-six  years  lie  e<»ntinue(1  at  the  liead  of 
the  Kiiii'ineer  I)e])artnient,  administerinii",  with  nntir- 
ini::  (Unotion,  spotless  inteu'rity,  and  siuiial  alality, 
the  varie(l  details,  the  tinancial  res[»onsi])ilities,  and 
the  pi'ofessional  labors  of  that  ai'ni  of  service  so 
essential  to  oui'  national  defense  and  internal  devel- 
o])inent. 

In  the  War  with  Mexico,  (renei'al  Scott  sum- 
moned his  early  com])anion-in-arms,  in  whose  judii:;- 
ment  he  had  the  most  unl)ound<*(l  confidence,  to  ai<l 
him  with  his  j»i(»fessional  skill  in  the  sie<i:e  of  \'era 
Cruz,  which  he  directed  with  such  si<.nial  ability  tliat 
he  was  not  only  a]ipointed  one  of  the  (\)nunissioners 
foi'  arranu'inu'  the  terms  of  its  ca)titulati(»n,  hut  also 
was  brevetted,  March  21),  1H47,  a  P)riiradiei'-(ieneral, 
for  his  "pdlant  and  meritorious  conduct." 

In  addition  to  (Jeneral  Totten's  multii)lied  mili- 
tary avocations,  he  was  an  active  an<l  most  useful 
member  of  the  Lio-ht  House  Hoard,  fi'om  its  orijani- 
zation  in  lsr)'2;  a  Keixent  of  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tution from  its  establishment  in  1<S4()  ;  a  ('or])orator 
of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences,  created  in 
1S()8;  one  of  the  llai'bor  Commissioners  for  the 
cities  of  New  ^ Ork  and  l^oston  ;  and  a  member  of 
many  scientific  associations,  to  some  of  which  he 
made  valuable  contributions. 

He  ]'ose  from  the  lowest  to  the  hif;;hest  i^rade  in 
his  branch  of  the  army  ;  was  Hve  times  c()m])limente(l 
by  advance  rank  for  meritorious  and  distinguished 
services  ;   became  a  Brigadier-(ieneral   by  a  special 


si; 


CAMl'AKi.N    OK    1S12. 


act  of  ( 'oiin'rcss  ill  1S('>;5,  wIkmi  the  'ro[>oura|>lii('al 
('oi'j)s  was  nuM'u'cd  into  the  ('oi'[)s  of  Eno:iiieeis ;  after 
iH'ar  tlircc  score  years  of  "Ioiilc,  faitlifiil,  aii<l  eiiii- 
iieiit  services,''  was  bi'evetted  a  Major-(ieiieral  in  tlie 
Army;  and  tlie  next  day,  April  '22,  ISIU,  hreatlied 
his  last  in  the  City  of  Washington,  terniinatinu'  his 
illustrious  career,  at  the  advanced  ai^e  of  seventy-tive. 
(ieneral  Totten,  ])hysically,  iiientally,and  morally, 
was  a  reniarkal)le  man.  Com])actly  l)uilt,  witli  a 
sti'oiiLi',  rohust  frame,  a  vii^orous  constitution  exempt 
From  most  ailments  of  life,  and  Avith  teni])erate  and 
reii'ular  liabits,  his  ])ow'ers  of  endurance  were  aston- 
ishinii;.  N(»  elemental  chaiiii'es,  no  hodily  |)i'ivations, 
iKtr  any  amount  of  laboi',  seemed  sensil)ly  t(»  affect 
him  ;  and  ]iis  e(jual)le  dis])osition  and  serenity  of 
thouii'lit  ])revented  tlie  disturl)ant;e  of  his  even  bal- 
ance and  protected  him  from  polemic  excitation. 
1 1  is  intellect  was  thoroiiii'hly  disciplined,  system  ])er- 
vaded  his  daily  life,  and  his  ])erseverance  nevei-  tla^- 
ued  till  the  i^oal  of  his  efforts  was  attained.  The 
constitution  of  his  mind  was  remarkably  sound, 
miisculai',  and  (»f  the  Baconian  order,  followiuii' more 
the  iiKbictive  than  sylloixystic  metJKxls.  All  his 
o'reat  and  \arie(l  powers  received  tlieir  dii'ection  from 
common  sense,  for  he  ^vas  eminently  j>ractical — a 
thoroiiii'h  man  of  the  world.  1' .oin  the  lii^'hest  he 
disdained  not  to  descend  to  the  lowest,  and  tlie  luwt 
moment  could  ])ass  from  the  microscopic  to  that 
which  recpiired  the  u'lvatest  ain]»litud(^  of  com[>re- 
hensioii.  Often  would  he  leave  the  elal)oration  of 
the  minutest  contrivance  at  his  (b-awinn'-tabh',  ])er- 
haps  to  prepare  a  masterly  report  on  national  defense. 


]\iA.ioi:-(ii:Ni:i!Ai.  .ioskimi   (i.  'idi'ikn. 


<S< 


He  (l(^V(>iii'('(l    1)<)()ks — litcr.'iry,  scientific  mikI  jiroiVs. 
sioiiiil — tliouu'li   lie  "  rcjid   ii<>t   t(t  contradict,  nor  to 


1)cl 


i('\(' 


hut  t 


o  wciu'li   and  consider 


li 


H'nce  lie  ^\as 


accurately  ini'ornie(l,  an  insti'uctive  talker,  and  a 
\rvsv,  vin'oious  and  masculine  writer,  never  saciviticinii' 
strenii'tli  to  polish.  It  was  Ix'cause  lie  du*;' deep  that 
he  was  able  to  pile  hiiLih.  ('onsei'\ati\ «'  in  all  his 
views,  he  was  slow  to  adopt  innovations;  yet  he  was 
e\-er  foremost  to  end)race  all  n'reat  |)rofessional  ini- 
proxcmeiits.  \\  itli  no  coiitroNcrsial  tendencies  and 
few    j)rejudices,    he    could     weiuh    deliherately    and 


I'ecene 


trutl 


IS  as  iruests,  not    as   eiiemie 


II 


IS    i)e] 


ceptive  were  e(piai  to  Ins  reflective  qualities,  no 


flecti 


1' 
>thini:'. 


io\\('\ cr  minute,  escapiiin'  his  ea^ie  eyt 


Hi 


IS    jiid!''- 


iiieiit  was  as  sound  as  his  reason,  and  his  almost  Dra- 
conian sense  of  justice  re(piire(l  of  others  the  meas- 
ure of  riii'ht  ]U'actise(l  Ly  liimself.  Ilis  self-control 
was  amazinu',  no  murmur  escapiiiu'  him  undt'r  the 
sevei'est  trials  of  bereavement  or  injustice.  TJior- 
ouu'hly  subjuu'atinui;  liis  feeliiiii's,  and  discij)lined  to 
ohedienoe,  not  vwn  the  persecutions  of  a  corrupt 
sui)erior,  like  Seci-etarv  Flovd,  shook  his  imnmtalde 


infeii'i'ity,  which  no  sophistry  could  swer\e,  no  po\\<'r 
bend,  no  hlandishmeiits  veer,  and  no  influence  war]», 
for  it  "was  the  pole-star  of  all  his  actions.  But  \vitli 
all  his  sterner  virtues,  lie  ])ossessed  in  an  eminent 
decree,  the  u'races  of  life.  lie  liad  a  (Udicate  ap])re- 
ciation  of  music,  was  a  connoisseur  of  the  fine  arts, 
could  desiu-n  and  draw  beautifully,  was  distinguished 
for  urbanity  of  manner  and  u'eiiial  social  (jualities, 
had  the  keenest  sense  of  w  it  and  humor,  and  al)ove 
all,    possessed    that    ijfreat    nun'al    excellence    which 


s.<^ 


r.VMI'AKJX    OF    l«12. 


adoi'iis  tlic  Clirisliaii  soMici'Miid  i:;(Mitl('iii!iii.  in  fine, 
lie  was  a  |)()lisli(Ml,  true  and  iji'eat  man  ;  a  pati'iot  iii 
its  hi'oadest  sense;  and  in  an  ai!:e  of  soldiers,  like 
that  of  Louis  X\y  or  Naj»oleon,  lie  would  have  heen 
awarded  tlie  liiirlif^t  military  honors. 

(reueral  l^arnard,  in  his  elaboi'ate  eulouy  of  (ieii- 
ei'al  'I'otten,  delivered   lu'fore  tlie  National  Aeadeniy 


of  Scieiiees,    sa\s  of  him 


II 


e  A\as  no 


triri 


er  with 


til 


the  realities  of  life,  who  dallied  with  them  foi'  his 
pleasure,  oi-  who  wielded  them  as  iiistrumeiits  of 
amhition  or  stdf-inteivst.  To  him,  as  to  all  true  men, 
the  meaninn'  of  life  was  concentrated   In  one    sinu'h' 


word 


I) 


riv, 


This  'chief  end   of  man,' which  is  t( 


ii'lorify  (rod  l»v  oliedieiice  to  His  laws  in  the  use  of 
the  faculties  lie  has  l)est(»wed,  was  his  I'uliiiu-  princi- 
ple— the  celestial  cynosure  to  which  his  eyes  wci'e 
e\ei'  directed,  and  from  which  n(»  allureuient  of  lower 
motives  could  dixci't  it.  Xor  was  his  sense  of  dut\ 
of  that  friii'id,  rejmlsive  nature  which  reduces  the 
conduct   of  life  to  a  foi'inula,  and,  suLstitutiiiir  rules 


for  emotions,   seems   but  a   retined   seltishne 


ss. 


Ht 


was  AN'arm  and  syni|)atlietic,  findiiiL!:  his  chief  hap])i- 
ness  in  the  pleasures  of  domestic  and  social  inter- 
course, hut  sinii'ularly  susce[)til)le  to  everythinjj;  that 
ministers  to  innocent  enjoyment.  *  "'  *  * 
(reutle,  kind  and  u^ood  ;  mild,  modest  and  tolerant  ; 
wise,  sa<>:acious,  shrewd  ajid  learned  ;  yet  sini])le  and 
un])retending  as  a  child — lie  <lie(l  as  he  had  lixed, 
surrounded  by  hearts  uushiiiii;  with  aifectiou,  and  the 
object  of  resj>ect  and   love  of  all  with  whom  lie  liad 


evei-  l)een  associ 


ated. 


( 1 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


5^ 


// 


w^ 


/ 


fA 


V] 


V) 


%^. 

> 


/ 


/ 


o 


7 


w 


1.0 


ii 
1.25 


S  US    ilz 


14 

14    ill  1.6 


w- 


i^r 


\ 


If  I  '<!  . 


CHAPTER  TIIIRD. 

WESTERN  CAMPAIGNS  OF  1813  ; 

WITH    A    IlIOGRAl'llIt'Ari    SKETt'II     OF 

LIEUT. -COLONEL  ELEAZER  D.  WOOD. 


FoiLKi)  in  every  attem])t  to  iuv.-ide  Canada  in 
IMl*,  and  thrown  upon  tlic  <l('tVnsive  witliin  our 
own  ])onler,  it  was  IiojhmI  tliat  in  fiituic  op«^iations 
we  would  profit  by  past  disasters.  Our  losses  liad 
])een  p'eat  in  men,  money  and  leputation  ;  hut  infi- 
nitely file  least  loss  was  tliat  of  William  Kustis, 
compelled  l)y  public  iuilii-nation  to  ivsii,'n  from  tlie 
head  of  the  War  J)epartnient.  ]\[ajor-(ieneral  John 
Armstrouij:,  who  became  the  new  Secretary  of  War, 
.lanuary  13,  181.*{,  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution, 
an  officer  «>f  lartre  exjterience,  and  a  man  of  com- 
mantliuir  intellect ;  vet  lie  bci^an   his  administratiou 


b 


>y  repeating  Ins  predecessors  eriors  nt  directinir 
movements  au:ainst  the  enemy  by  isolated  columns 
aimed  at  the  least  vital  points  of  his  powei-.  The 
('amj>aiirn  of  1818,  thouufh  differiuLj:  in  its  tletails 
and  modified  in  after  execution,  was,  in  principle, 
essentially  the  same  as  the  plan  which  had  resulted  in 
the  wretche<l  fiasco  of  1812.  The  Northwestern.  <»r 
Army  of  the  Left,  under  Tlari'ison,  was,  as  before, 
t«»  inva<le  Canada  by  the  Detroit  Stiaits  ;  the  Aniiy 
«>f  the  Centi*e,  under  Dearboin,  instead  of  })v  the 
Niai'ara  as  in  1812,  was  to  attack  the  enemv's  ter- 

91 


V  u 


t»L> 


WKSTKUN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


ritory  hy  l)l<)\vs  nt  Kiiii^ston,  York  mul  Fort  Georcre 
on  the  Nortlieni  shore  of  Luke  Ontario;  wliile  tlie 
Nortlieasterii,  oi-  Army  <>t'  tlie  Rii::lit,  under  TTani[)- 
ton  (later  in  tlie  season)  threatened  a  inovenieiit  on 
Montreal  from  Lake  C'hamplain.  Siil)se([uently,  tlie 
Army  (►f  the  CVntre  was  (H-dered  t<>  descend  the 
St.  Lawrence  river  to  co-o[)erate  in  tlie  cajtture  of 
Montreal.  Thus  were  our  forces  again  scattered, 
over  more  than  a  th(tusand  miles  of  frontier,  witli- 
out  mutual  support,  and  anew  were  doometl,  fiom 
false  strateiiy,  to  icap  few  laurels. 

In  this  chaptei'  we  ))ropose  to  limit  ourselves  to 
the  operations  of  the  Xorthwestern  Army,  of  which 
Captain  Wood  was  |)ractically  the  Chief  Kiii^ineer, 
his  senior — Ca])tain  (iratiot — luini!;  most  of  liis 
time  ahsent  on  other  duty  or  too  sick  for  active 
service  ;  and,  for  the  hetter  understandini!:  of  the 
Western  (^ami)aiu'ns  of  181.'},  we  must  dwell  a  little 
on  [)recedini,M'vents  which  transpired  in  the  territory 
north  of  the  Ohio. 

Miitterin|Li;s  of  the  comins;  storm  of  war,  had 
been  heard  for  years,  amontc  the  Lidian  tribes  of 
the  Ni^rtliwest  undei'  the  bold  leadershij)  of  Tecuin- 
seh  and  his  wily  lu'otlier — tlie  l*rophet — who  were 
dissatisfied  with  the  Treaties  of  (irreenville  and  Fort 
Wayne.  Instii^^ated  to  hostilities  by  British  emmis- 
sarit's,  the  latter  chief  had  unsuccessfully  attacke(l 
(rovernor  IIarris<m  at  Tippecanoe,  Nov.  7,  bsll, 
frustratiiii;'  for  a  time  the  hopes  of  tlie  hostile  tribes. 
Had  we  promptly  followed  up  this  vi^'orous  bl(»vv 
all  would  have  })een  well,  and  the  after  horrors  of 
the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  been  averted  ;  but 


wai 


Wll( 

Ken 
(ien 
o\er 
foi'iil 


LTET'T.-rOLON^KL    ELEAZKR    D.    WOOD. 


03 


Seeivtary  Kiistis,  {itteiii])tiiiii;  to  sootlir  savairt*?<  with 
soft  words,  was  laiiu'lied  at  for  his  rrediilitv,  our 
mistaken  for})earaiU'e  was  inter] >ivte«]  as  weakness, 
and  Tec'uniseli's  alliance  witli  the  Hritisli  was  ensured. 
Tliis  bold  chief  auain  in  arms,  and  aided  l»v  the 
moral  influence  of  the  capture  of  Mackinaw,  tlie 
destruction  of  the  <rarrison  at  Fort  Dearborn,  and 
the  snrrendei-  of  Detroit,  was  soon  enabled  to  array 
numerous  tribes  against  us  undei-  command  of  C'«>1- 
onel  I*i-octor  of  the  British  aiiny,  at  heai"t  a  more 
inhuman  savaye  than  himself.  Proctor,  witli  liis 
allies  again  on  the  war-path,  determine<l  immediately 
to  led uce  Forts  Wayne  and  Ilairisoii :  ]>ut  both  of 
these  sti'ong  stockades  resisted  all  assaults  till  relieved 
by  the  great  uprising  of  the  Western  ])eopJe  wh<), 
in  hordes  and  from  all  ranks  of  society,  with  pati-i- 
otic  anlor  volunteered  to  avenge  the  past  disasteis  to 
our  arms,  exterminate  the  brutal  savages,  and  expel 
theii"  Biitish  allies  from  the  soil  of  tlie  Republic. 
Xund)ersand  enthusiasm,  however,  were  weak  antag- 
onists to  encounter  the  organization  and  disripline 
of  Furopean  legulai's  and  the  wilv  warfare  of  the 
warrioi-s  of  the  wilderness. 

In  a  short  time,  ovei'  1(>,(I»M>  ill-cMpiipped  and  in- 
ex|>ei'ienced  volunteers,  com])ose<l  of  this  excellent 
raw  material,  with  a  few  icgulars  of  our  army,  were 
embodied  under  the  command  of  (iovei-noi-  Hanison, 
who  had  been  commissioned  Hi'evet  Majoi-(i«'neial  of 
Kentucky  Militia;  and,  "^v^i.  17,  lHli>,  a*;  a  lirigadier- 
(leneial  of  the  United  States  Aiiny,  was  placed 
over  his  senior — (irenei'al  Winchester — because  of  ids 
former  services  and  gi'eat  [>o[)ularity  in  the  West, 


04 


WESTEUX    CAMPAKiXS    OF    1813. 


''  I 


I rjiirison's  orders  tVom  {]w  War  Departiih'iit  were 
Ut  provide  for  tlie  seeurify  of  tlie  Western  frontier; 
to  retake  Michigan  Tenitoi'v  ;  and,  witli  a  view  to 
the  eoiKjUest  of  Upper  Canada,  to  juMietrate  tliat 
country  as  far  as  the  force  under  his  conunaiid  wouhl 
justify  liini  to  ju'oceed.  lie  was  a(lvise<l  tliat  every 
exertion  was  niakiiiijf  to  furnisli  him  witli  a  train  of 
artilI(M'v  from  IMttshuriih  and  witli  all  other  neces- 
sary  sn])i>lies. 

At  once  abandoninii;  liis  imjnactical)le  project  of 
capturiiiLi^  Detroit  by  a  <o/tjH/<-ut((iH  with  mounted 
troops,  Harrison  d invested  a  new  plan  of  campaijj^n. 
To  su[»port  his  army  and  better  to  ])rotect  the  frontier, 
lie  established  his  base  of  operations  alonu:  the  edne 
of  the  swam|)y  district,  extendinuj  from  St.  Mary's, 
])y  Fort  McArthur,  to  r])[)er  Sandusky  in  Ohio, 
which  three  places  were  to  be  the  principal  p(»intsof 
coiiceiiti'ation  of  ti'oops  and  depots  of  sup[)lies  pre- 
j»aratory  to  a  <i'eneral  advance  by  columns  marchini;, 
from  each  of  these  localities,  upon  the  Uaj>ids  of  the 
Maumee  (ik^v  Perry sbursi;),  which  was  to  l)e  the  iirst 
oh'/rctlre  of  the  cani[)aiu'n.  The  left  column,  under 
(reiieral  AVinchestei',  wascomj)osed  of  the  Kentucky 
militia  and  his  few  reujulars;  that  of  the  centre, 
(reiieral  Tupper  command iiiii,  consisted  of  1,*J()()  Ohio 
militia  and  SOO  mounted  infantry;  while  the  column 
of  the  rijjjht,  to  l)e  made  up  of  briirades  from  Pennsyl- 
vania, Virii:inia  and  Ohio,  led  by  (leneral  Harrison 
in   person,   was  to  a])proach    its  object   by   way   of 


liOW 


er  SaiK 


lusl 


kv 


A  more  sjjallant  army  than  Harrison's  never  went 
to  battle  ;  but  seldom  was  discomlitiire  more  conii)lete 


LIETTT.-COLONEL    ELEAZEU    D.    WO(»l>. 


95 


or  fjitjil  tlijiii  was  tlieirs.  While  Ilamsoii  with  tlie 
rii^lit  wiiii^  WHS  \vaitin£j  for  supplies  at  Sandusky  aiul 
Tupper  uiakini;  al)sur<l  inovenieuts  with  the  centre 
colunui,  Winchester,  eoiuniaiulinji;  the  left,  was  in- 
duced to  detach  Colonels  Lewis  and  Allen,  of  Ken- 
tucky, to  advance  beyond  the  reach  of  ])ronipt 
support,  for  the  pr(>tection  of  Frenchtown  (now 
Monroe,  Michiifan)  on  the  River  Raisin,  a  small 
stream  em[)tyini!;  into  the  western  end  of  Lake  Erie. 
Our  decided  victory  at  this  place  over  Major  Rey- 
nold's combined  Bi'itish  an<l  Indian  foive,  Jan.  18, 
1813,  pr<Kluced  a  degree  of  most  unfortunate  con- 
Hdence,  As  soon  as  the  news  of  our  success  was 
known  at  the  Rapids,  all  were  eager  to  rush  forward 
to  support  and  share  tlie  glory  of  their  comra<les. 
Wincliester,  with  a  small  re-enforcement  of  but  250 
men,  reached  Frenchtown  on  the  "JOth,  but,  failing 
to  enti'ench  his  position,  his  scattered  forces  were 
surprised  and  attacked,  on  the  2'Jd,  by  the  whole  of 
Proctor's  army,  his  detachment  defeated,  himself 
cai)tured,  and,  by  a  base  strategem,  all  the  heroic 
survivors  were  induced  to  conditionally  surrender. 
The  terms  of  the  capitulation  were  bai']>arously 
violated  by  tlie  Britisli  conunander,  the  pi'isoners  be. 
ing  treated  with  the  most  brutal  inhumanity;  the 
dead,  denied  sepulture,  scal])e(l,  and  left  t<>  be  de- 
voured l)y  the  hogs  and  dogs  of  the  village;  while 
the  ])owei'less  woiuuUnl  were  uban<loned  to  the 
"surgeiy"  of  the  savages,  who,  with  knife,  torch, 
and  tomahawk  tortured  them  to  death.  And  will  it 
be  credited  that  the  monster,  responsilde  for  all  this, 
^vas  an  officer  of  a  Christian  mition   and   was  pro- 


<)«*) 


WESTKIIX    fAMPATONS    OF    1813. 


i;; 

moted  to  the  lionor}il)lp  rank  of  lii'iiradiei'-Ciciieral  foi* 
his  services  in  this  Imtcheiy  of  a  ti'iistiniz;  foe! 
"  Wluit  a  contrast,"  says  M'Afce,  "Ix'tween  this  ])ase 
jterfidy  of  tlie  liritisli  officf^rs,  in  ex|)osinL!;  tlieir 
prisoners  to  massacre,  after  stIpKhtfiiKj  to  jtrotect 
them;  and  the  noble  luimanity  <»f  tlie  American  tars 
I  aftei'  Pei-rv's  victory  on  Lake  Erie  I  in  saci-iticiiiLT 
their  own  lives,  to  save  tlieir  foes  who  had  sur- 
rendered iinc<ni<Jltl(Hi<illiiy 

Witli  the  massacre  of  the  River  Raisin  was  vir- 
tually terminated  this  tVuitless  vvintei-  cam|taiirn  of 
isl 2-1. 'i,  by  which  we  had  uained  no  lost  uround, 
etfaced  no  disiri-ace  to  our  ai'ms,  and  accomplished 
nothiiii:',  while  time  and  money  weic  wasted  and 
pivcious  lives  and  re])utation  saci'ifice<l. 

ILai'i'ison,  witli  his  raw  levies,  doubtless  labored 
hard    to  defend    the   extensive  froiitiei*,    to  conten<l 


a<i:;ainst  a  formidable  fo«',  and  t(»  oveivome  the  many 
V)stacles   which    nature  interposed  ;    yet,    all    these 


o 


hindi 


ranees  do  not  ju 


^tifv  1 


lis  violation  of  the  j)rin 


ciplesof  sti*atei;y.      Pei'ha])s  he  was  not  to  blame  for 
the   tirst   plan   of  camj)ai<::n,    suuvested    by  the  u'(»^■• 


eminent   wliile   that  oru'aniz«'r   of  failure 


\V 


illiam 


Eustis — ^was  at  the  head  of  the  War  Department. 
\V  hen,on  tlie  .'{(►tli  of  Sejttember,  he  took  command  at 
St.  Mary's,  tlie  rainy  season  was  fast  ajtproachin*;, 
and  nothiiiLC  ^vas  ready  f(tr  an  autumnal  advance; 
hence  lie  had  no  choice  but  to  [)i'e|)are  for  operations 
ill  the  spriiiif,  or  attem[)t  a  wintei' camitaiicn — always 
ditticult  ami  seldom  successful.  Had  Hari-ison  been 
as  bold  as  lie  was  brave,  he  W(Mild  have  chosen  the 
former  and  not  have  adopted  the   latter,  havini;  "a 


LIKUT.-COLOXKF,    KLKAZKU    D.    WOOD. 


07 


complete  <'(fi't(^  hJinii'lt ('"'''  t<»  coiiduct  tlie  \s\\\  as  \w 
saw  fit.  In  extenuation  of  liis  mistake,  he  wrote, 
Jan.  4,  1S18,  to  the  War  Department :  "The  wishes 
of  the  ^ovei'nment,  to  I'ecover  tlie  i^round  which  ha«l 
Keen  lost  and  to  con(|Uei'  Upper  Canada,  were,  how- 
ever, ex])ressed  in  such  sti-onii;  terms,  and  the  fun<ls 
which  were  ])laced  at  my  disposal  were  dcclarecj  to 
he  so  ample,  if  n(»t  unlimited,  that  I  <li<l  not  consiiici' 
mvself  authorized  to  adopt  tlie  alteinative  of  dela\ 
fi 
tl 


•om  anv  othei-  motive   tiian  tliat  of    the   safetv  of 


le  armv 


But  the  wliole  ]>rol)lem  of  Nortliwestern  opeia- 
ti<»iis  had  chanL!;ed  since  Winchester  had  been  ordered 
to  support  Hull,  and  irai'i'ison  to  defend  Indiana  and 
Illinois  aiiJiinst  hostile  Indians.  Now  Detroit  and 
Michigan  Territory  wei'e  in  possession  of  the  enemy; 
we  had  lost  most  of  our  western  frontier  posts  and 
sctth^ments  ;  the  savauv  ti"ib<'s,  north  of  the  Ohio, 
weiv  in  open  hostility;  till  Xovembei' nothing' l)ut  a 
few  laids  uj)on  Indian  cam]>s  ha<l  been  etfecte<l  ;  the 
weather  was  cold  and  the  rainy  season  had  set  in  ; 
land  transj)ortation  throuii:h  the  swamps  was  alm()st 
impracticable;  deticient  food  and  clothing'  were 
workiuiT  tlieir  baneful  eifects  ujton  the  health  and 
spii'its  of  the  ti'oops;  supplies  and  nnmitions  of  war 
were  far  in  the  ivai' ;  bad  beef,  liickory  roots,  elm 
l>ark,  and  beech  nuts  were  often  the  substitutes  foi* 
i:'oo<l  rations ;  an<l,  withal,  the  troops  were  without 
efficient  oriranizatioii,  jn'opei-  instruction,  or  military 
discipline.  Ivnowinjj^  full  well  all  these  disadvan- 
taires  under  wliich  he  laboicd,  Ilari'ison  persisted  in 
undertakinu'  a    wintei'  cam))aiun    au'ainst   an   activ<' 


irr 


98 


WESTERN   CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


enemy,  in  front,  familial-  witli  tlie  wilderness  ;  with 
('(>1«1,  storms  and  all  the  elements  opposed  to  him  ; 
an<l  nnmerons  months  to  feed  withont  the  ])ossil)ility 
of  transporting  sntficient  snpplies  except  at  enor- 
mons  cost  in  money,  men  and  animals.  Besides,  he 
conld  not  have  forgotten  that  (iJeneral  Wayne's  army 
in  l7yH,  after  a  whole  sninmer's  preparation,  had  not 
been  able  to  advance  more  than  seventy  miles  from 
the  Ohio,  and  had  then  been  ordered,  by  the  prndent 
President  Washington,  into  winter  (|uarters,  at,  ac- 
cording to  Harrison's  own  statement,  "tlie  very  season 
when  his  own  arrangements  were  Im/iiDiiiuiy  Hav- 
ing, however,  decided  to  attempt  this  crusade  against 
the  enemy  and  the  elements,  as  a  soldier  he  was 
bound  to  conduct  liis  ()perations  accoi'ding  to  estab- 
lislie<l  military  princi])les.  The  well-known  maxims 
of  war  reipiire  the  selection,  if  possible,  of  a  single 
and  of  the  shortest  line  of  operation  ;  that  when  mul- 
tiplied lines  are  a  necessity,  they  should  ])e  within 
nuitual  supporting  distance;  that  isolated  colunms 
should  have  a  place  of  concentration  out  of  reach  (►f 
the  enemy  ;  and  that  the  objective  ])oint,  when 
attained,  should  be  decisive  of  the  cain])aign.  C'er- 
tainly  Harrison  did  not  conform  to  these  necessary 
I'ules  of  warfare.  Instead  of  following  HulTs  route, 
which  was  the  safest  and  most  direct  line  of  o])era- 
tion,his  army  marched  in  three  colunms,  separated  by 
from  thirty  to  fifty  miles  of  impassable  swamps  and 
trackless  wilderness;  the  Maumee  Rapids,  his  ])oint 
of  concentration,  was  within  less  than  sixty  miles  of 
the  enemy's  whole  force  ;  and  hence  it  was  in  Proc- 
tor's  power  with   liis  entire    army,  rapidly  and  in 


TJETTT.-COLONKL    ELEAZKH    D.    WOOD. 


99 


Hiuressioii,  to  sti'ike  eucli  of  our  ooluiims  Lcforc 
ivucliiiiii;  tlitMi'  ]>oiiit  of  junction,  tlius  <U*sti'oyintr 
Ilairison's  urniv  in  detail  without  unv  rink  to  hinisflf. 
AV^incliesttM's  advance  to  tlie  Hiver  Kaisin,  tliontrli 
made  from  tl»e  best  and  most  urL?ent  motives,  was  a 
still  i^reater  fanlt,  Frenclitown  beinij  within  ei«,d»teen 
miles  of  the  enemy\s  hea(h|uarters  at  Maiden,  while 
it  was  more  than  double  that  distance  to  the  Mauniee 
Kapids,  the  nearest  ])oint  of  HU])port,  and  about  on** 
hundied  miles  on  an  avera<j:;e  fVom  the  other  corjis 
of  the  ^\merican  Ai'iny  ;  hence  the  ]H)ssil)ility  of 
i'e-enforcin«;  the  left  wi'  g,  against  any  speedy  move- 
ment of  the  enemy,  was  chimerical.  Tlie  tii-st  news 
of  this  advance,  says  C/a])tain  Wood,  "for  a  moment 
paralyzed  the  army,  or  at  least  tlie  thinkinu'  part  of 
it,  for  no  one  couhl  imagine  that  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  be  guilty  of  such  a  hazardous  stej).  (leneral 
Harrison  was  astonished  at  the  impru<lence  and 
inconsistency  of  such  a  measure,  which,  if  carried 
into  execution,  could  be  viewed  in  no  other  light 
than  as  attended  with  certain  and  inevitable  destruc- 
tion to  the  left  wing.  N(»r  was  it  a  ditftcult  matter 
for  any  one  to  foresee  and  [uvdict  the  terrible  conse- 
(|Uences  M'hicli  weiv  sure  to  mark  the  result  of  a 
scheme  no  less  rash  in  its  conception  than  hazardous 
in  its  execution."  He  c<mtinues,  after  speaking  of 
the  battle  of  Frenclitown  and  massacre  of  the  River 
Raisin:  "Thus  was  there  a  cor[)s  of  1,0(M)  men,  the 
elite  of  the  army,  totally  saciiticed  in  the  most 
wanton  manner  possible ;  and  that  to<^,  without  the 
slightest  benefit  to  their  country  or  posterity.  With 
onlv  one-third  or  oue-foui'th  of  the  force  destined  for 


rr 


100 


wp:stkrx  tampatoxs  of  1813. 


that  service  ;  destitute  of  nrtiliery  ;  <»f  eiii^ineei's;  •)£ 
men  wlio  had  ever  seen  or  heard  the  least  of  an 
enemy;  and  with  hut  a  veiy  inade(|uate  supply  of 
anuniuiition;  how  lie  eoidd  have  entertained  the 
most  distant  hope  of  success,  oi"  what  riicht  lie  had 
to  presume  to  claim  it,  is  to  me  one  of  the  strangest 
thinifs  in  the  world.  An  adei)t  in  the  art  of  war  is 
alone  authorized  to  deviate  from  the  ordinary  and 
established  rules,  hv  which  that  art  for  a  LTi'eat  leiiLfth 
of  time  has  been  usefully  and  successfully  ap[)lied. 
Winchester  was  destitute  of  every  means  of  suj)- 
porting  his  corj)s  long  at  the  River  Raisin,  was  in 
the  very  jaws  of  the  enemy,  and  beyond  tlie  ivacli 
of  succor.  lie  who  lights  with  such  tlinisy  preten- 
sions to  victorv,  will  always  be  beaten,  ami  eternallv 
ought  to  be." 

This  is  doubtless  a  just  criticism  U[)on  the  fatuity 
of  Winchestei- ;  but  it  does  not  excuse  Harrison,  f(»r 
he  alone  was  responsible  foi'  the  conduct  of  the 
whole  army,  and  should,  in  the  most  positive  man- 
ner, have  controlled  Winchester's  movements,  for 
his  plea  that  he  always  "considered  him  rathei-  in 
the  light  of  an  associate  in  command,  than  an  infe- 
rior" will  not  sutfice.  As  Napoleon,  in  177<),  told 
the  Frencli  Directory  which,  jealous  of  his  success, 
had  ])roposed  to  divide  the  army  of  Italy:  "It  was 
better  to  have  the  whole  commanded  by  one  inferior 
general,  like  Killerman,  than  b\'  firo  snjurlnr  ones, 
"like  himself." 

Harrison,  to  shirk  res]»onsil)ility,  as  is  customary 
with  weak  men,  after  the  disastei-  of  the  Raisin, 
called  a  council  of  war  at  the  Rajtids.     As  Councils 


LIKtTT.-COLONKh    KLKAZKH    P.    WOOli. 


101 


|)r<)v<*rl)i;ill\  ii«*v(^r  liirlit,  it  w.is  r('s«»lvf<l  to  al>;m«loii 
tlu'  camp  oil  the  Maiiiiict',  destroy  a  laru;*'  (|iiantity 
of  su|>j)lies  collcctiMl  tlicic  at  eiioiiiioiis  cost  and 
Ial)oi-,  aii«l  I'ctrcat  ciiilitccii  miles  to  l*oitai;c  river — 
a  retroLjradc  movement  altou'etlier  unnecessarv  in 
the  actual  state  of  affairs,  as  subsequent  ev«Mits 
|>rove<l.  Harly  in  Fehruarv,  lHl;{,  he  advanced 
auain  tot  lie  Ha)>ids,  the  most  <'liLj'ilde  |>()sition  toc(»ver 
the  fi'oiitier  and  threaten  Detroit  aixl  the  enemy's 
hea<li|Uarters  at  Maiden.  ( )n  the  Hth  he  sent, 
throiiirh  deej)  snow,  a  <letachment  airainst  somejilun- 
deriiii;  India!is,  whicdi,  aftei-  a  fruitless  <diase,  soon 
returned.  Aufain,  March  lM,  he  sent  another  detach- 
ment to  burn  the  Hiitish  fleet fVozen  uj)  near  Maiden: 
but  the  ojK'iation  was  fiustiated  in  conse(|uence  of 
Lake  Ki'ie  beiuLT  Jiartially  ojh'Ii   and  no  bridire  of  ice 


a( 


ross   Detroit    strait^ 


Tl 


lese    unsuccess 


fill 


expedi 


tions  closed  this  disastrous  camjtainn,  which  ha<l 
been  jtrosecuted  at  incalculable  e\[>ense  to  the  j^ov- 
ernment,  witli  little  >  ledit  to  our  arms,  and  involved 
botli  otficers  and  men,  little  inured  to  war,*  in  tlie 
irreatest  ti'ials  and  privations. 


*  Tiie  waste  of  money  was  enormous.  Tiie  flour  for  Harrison's  armj-  was  said 
to  have  cost  $100  per  barrel.  Tlie  immense  distances,  without  roads  tlirouj^h 
tangled  swamps  and  almost  traciiless  wildernesses,  could  only  be  traversed 
by  thousands  of  pack-horses,  eadi  of  wiiicli  could  carry  but  half  a  barrel  of 
l)rovisions,  and  mu^t  be  attended  liy  trains  of  other  horses  witii  forage  for 
those  laden  with  i)rovision8.  Few  horses  survived  more  than  one  trip; 
many  sank  under  <me.  Of  4,000  pack-horses  to  supply  the  Nortliwestern 
Army,  scarce  800  survived  till  the  spring  of  IRl.!.  Multiplied  incidental, 
iiut  iiievital)le  charges,  w.re  of  frightful  amount,  f^arge  (juantities  of  (lour 
wvre  buried  in  mud  and  snow,  from  inal)ility  to  carry  it  any  farther,  and 
much  was  damaged  when  it  reached  its  final  destination.  Two-thirds  of 
that  deposited  at  Fort  Meigs  was  spoiled  and  unfit  for  use.  Fluctuations 
and   increase  of  prices  were  so  great  that  many  contractors  were  ruineu. 


fl' 


102 


WKSTKltN    CAM1>AI(4XS    (>y    1813. 


Eleazer  Dkiiky  Woon,  ])ractically  tlie  Ch'wi 
Eiiixiiieer  of  tlie  Nortliwesterii  Army,  was  born, 
Deceiuber,  1788,  at  Luiien])iirg,  Mass.  lie  was  of 
l)rave  New  Eiiu^laiid  stock.  Two  of  liis  l)i'otliei's,  in 
tlie  defense  of  Plattsimrg  Se])t.  11,  1818,  were 
amoii*:;  tlie  last  to  retire  ])efore  the  enemy,  across 
the  Saranae,  on  the  naked  strinu--])iec'es,  the  phink- 
coverini;  haviiii;  already  heeii  taken  uj)  to  prevent 
the  British  passiiiLr  in  force.  While  crossinji;,  one  of 
the  brothers  cauirht  a  wounded  man  as  he  was  fall- 
in<i:  into  the  stream,  and  carried  him  safelv  Nvithin  our 
inti'enchmeiits.  Another  brother,  while  performing; 
his  duties  as  a  Custom-Ibmse  officei',  was  cai)t!ued 
July  80,  1818,  in  his  own  boat  on  Lake  Champlain, 
carried  to  Canada,  and  for  over  six  months  was  eon- 
fined  as  a  })risoner  of  war  near  Que])ec. 

Except  that  younsi;  Wood  commenced  llie  study 
of  medicine  at  Alburi;,  Vermont,  we  know  little  of 
his  early  histoiy  before  goinix.  May  17,  1805,  to  West 
Point.  While  a  Cadet  he  was  noted  for  his  soldiei'ly 
(pialities,  rii^id  comj)liance  with  regulations,  devo- 
tion to  study,  and  fondness  for  the  sciences,  in  which 
he  displayed  such  proficiency  that  he  was  at  times 
detailed  for  enjj^ineer  <luty  in  New  York  Harbor. 
lie  was  ii;raduated  from  the  Military  Academy  and 
])romoted,  Oct.  80,  bSOfJ,  to  be  a  Second  Lieutenant 
of  En«2;ineei's  in  the  U.  S.  Army.  lie  was  immedi- 
ately placed    on    duty  with   Colonel   AViliiams,  the 

and  it  became  necessary  to  purchase,  at  exorbitant  rates,  of  other  persons 
wiien  disappoinleil  of  regular  supplies  by  contractors. 

The  waste  of  life  was  also  very  great  from  malaria,  |)rivation8.  exposure, 
excessive  fatigue,  and  the  want  of  competent  surgeons,  instruments  and 
mediciaes.    Our  hospitals  did  more  for  the  enemy  than  our  arms. 


)!■( 


cojl 

iiiiC 

linv 

the 

del" 

now 

r 

CX'tl 

noi 

l(>S( 

saci'( 
bled 


LIEUT.-COLONEL    ELEAZER    D.    AVOOD. 


103 


Chief  Eiiirineer,  to  assist  in  tlie  construction  of  tlie 
defenses  of  (lovernor's  Island,  New  York  Harbor. 
In  tlie  winter  of  ISOT-?^,  lie  was  occnjned  in  his  pro- 
fessional stndies  at  West  Point,  the  head(|Uarters  of 
the  Corj)s  of  Engineers,  in  which  he  became  a  First 
Lieutenant,  Feb.  23,  1808.  vSoon  after,  he  was 
ordered  to  Noifolk,  Ya.,  to  aid  in  fortifyino:  its  har- 
])or,  where  he  remained  until  1810,  when  he  again 
returned  to  West  Point,  becoming  then  the  Military 
Agent  of  the  post  till  1812.  From  here  he  was 
oi'dered  to  the  charsre  (vf  the  defenses  of  New  Lon- 
don  Harbor,  Conn.,  and  to  erect  a  battery  at  Sag 
Harbor,  Long  Island,  N.  Y. 

In  Noyember,  aftei'  Hull's  surrender  of  Detroit, 
AVood  received  his  much-coyeted  orders  for  service, 
"  where  war  is  most  active."  He  had  long  felt  the 
great  wrongs  suffered  by  our  country,  and  dee]>ly 
deprecated  tlie  a])athy  of  the  naticm  in  not  resisting 
ccmtinued  insults  and  British  oppression.  In  writ- 
ing to  his  sister,  November  8(\  1812,  he  says:  "I 
have  spent  eight  years  [including  his  cadetslii]>|  in 
the  army  for  the  pur])ose  of  pre]>aring  uiyself  t<»  ren- 
der my  country  a  service.  *  *  *  The  period  has 
now  arrived  when  I  am  to  be  tested  as  a  soldier.  If 
I  ]irove  to  be  one  and  fortunate,  it  will  no  doubt  be 
extremely  pleasing  and  gratifying  to  you  all.  If  I 
sh(i1lf((II  ill  f/if'  prf'Sffif  cof/ffirf,  you  must  not  grieve 
nor  moui'ii,  but  rejoice  that  you  had  a  bi'other  to 
lose  for  the  maintenance  and  ])i'eservation  of  those 
sacred  rights  for  which  our  Revolntionary  Patiiots 
bled  and  fell."  Noble  man  !  and  seer  of  his  own 
glorious  end ! 


104 


WKSTKUX    OA.MI'AIGNS    OF    1813. 


For  causes  ]>ei'oi'e  stated,  tli<)U<ji;li  assi«j;iie(l  as  an 
assistant  to  C-aptaiii  (xratiot,  he  ))ecunie  virtually  the 
Chief  Kiiii'ineer  of  the  Northwestei'u  Army,  IFis 
J«)Ui-nal,  ij^iveii  eutii-e  in  ('liai>tei'  IX.,  sliows  tlie  ini- 
[)ortant  services  upon  whifh  he  was  constantly  en- 
ira<re«l,  how  in(lisj)ensal)le  lie  was  to  tlie  C-oniinaiul- 
ini::  (Tcneral,  and  tliat  in  his  knowledij^e  of  tlie  art  of 


w 


ar  he  had    no  superior  in    that    army.     The    fe 


w 


extracts  we  have  given  from  this  journal  evince  the 
comprehensiveness  of  Wood's  mind,  his  remarkably 
matui'e  judunient,  ami  his  unusual  familiarity  with 
every  detail  of  the  campaiun. 

Harrison  at  the  Maumee  Ilai)ids,  in  the  Sprini:: 
of  l<Sl;},  was  less  than  sixty  miles  from  Proctor  at 
Maiden  ;  hiit  the  latter,  for  every  offensive  move- 
ment, had,  when  the  ice  disapi)eared,  the  great  ad- 
vantage of  possessing  naval  means  for  crossing  Lake 
Erie  or  ascending  the  Maumee  Kiver.  Harrison,  in 
making  any  advance,  must  march  hy  land,  which 
involved  taking  ])retty  much  the  same  I'oute  as 
Hull  followed  in  1812,  which,  besides  being  very 
circuitous,  exposed  his  communications,  with  his 
base  at  the  Ra])ids,  to  be  cut  at  any  moment  by  the 
enemy  (piickly  throw  inghis  whole  force  from  Maiden 


across 


the    Detroit    Straits.     Under    these    cire 


um- 


stances  nothing  seemed  feasible  but  to  intrench  his 
army  till  Captain  Pei'iy's  Fleet,  about  to  be  built  at 
Pres(pie  Isle  (Erie  Harbor,  Penn.\  should  be  com- 
pleted,  and  the  naval  control  of  the  lake  be  secured. 
While  Harrison  occu])ied  his  time  in  accumulating 
provisions,  and  providing  gairisons  for  isolated  posts, 
AVood,  with  the  1,800  remaining  troops,  set  to  work 


LIErT.-COLONEL    ELP^AZER    D.    WOOO. 


105 


foi'tifviniT  a  stromj;  2)<)siti(>ii  on  the  ritrlit  bauk  of  the 
Mauniee  (nearly  o]»})osite  Wayne's  l)attle-irr<>un«l  of 
Auiifust  20,  17i>4)  which  was  alM)ut  one  hnndred 
feet  above  the  river  and  (•omj)letely  eoninnunled  it. 
This  excellent  jtosition,  says  Wood,  "was  judiciously 
chosen  by  General  Harrison  and  Ca])tain  Gratiot,  on 
the  8d  and  4th  of  February,  IHbS."  This  camj), 
subse«juently  called  Foi-t  ]\Ieiijs,  after  the  Govenioi" 
of  Ohio,  h.ad  a  perimeter  of  2,500  yards,  an<l  enclosed 
about  eiirht  acres.  FiXce])t  at  intervals,  left  for  ]>at- 
teries  and  blockdiouses,  the  whole  was  to  be  pali- 
saded with  twelve  inch  timber  sunk  three  feet  in  tlie 
irround  and  risinji;  abo\e  to  theheiijjht  of  twelve  feet. 
Each  workiuii:  ])arty  was  assigned  its  allotted  task, 
and  all  labored  with  laudable  zeal  to  complete  their 
portion  i»f  the  defenses  as  (piickly  as  possible.  To 
cut  and  plant  nearly  a  mile  a)id  a  half  «»f  ])alisades; 
build  all  the  store-houses  and  ma<»;azines  for  the  army 
su])plies;  to  put  U])eiLrht  l)lock-houses  of  double  tim- 
ber; and  erect  four  lari:;e  elevated  batteries — was  no 
ordinary  undertaking:,  to  say  nothiuffof  other  harass- 
iuiT  fatiijue  duties  and  the  daily  anxieties  and  priva- 
tions of  cavip  life.  "Besides,"  says  Ca])tain  Wood, 
"  an  immense  deal  of  labor  was  likewise  retpiired  inex- 
cavatinu:  ditches,  makini»;  abatis,  and  cleariuir  a  wi«ltli 
of  800  vards  of  oak  and  beech  forest  all  around  the 
camp;  and  the  whole  was  t<>  be  done  at  a  time  when 
the  weather  was  inclement,  and  the  srrountl  so  hard 
that  it  could  scarcely  be  opened  with  the  mattock  and 
pickaxe.  But  in  the  use  of  the  axe,  mattock  ami 
sjiade  consisted  the  chief  military  knowledsr^"  «>f  <»ur 
aiiny  ;  and  even  that  knowledge,  however  trifling  it 


106 


VVKSTiiKN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


may  be  siip]>()se<l  by  some,  is  of  tlie  utmost  impor- 
tanee  in  many  situations,  and  in  ours  was  the  salva- 
tion of  the  army.  So  we  fell  to  worlv,  heard  notliing 
of  tlie  enem\',  and  endeavored  to  bury  ourselves  as 
soon  as  [)ossil)le." 

Soon  after  this  auspicious  commencement  of  Fort 
Meiij^s,  (ireneral  Harrison  was  called  to  Cincinnati, 
by  sickness  in  his  family,  and  to  push  forward  re- 
cruits for  his  army  ;  w  Idle,  at  the  same  time,  Captain 
Wood  was  reipiired  at  Sandusky  to  su])ervise  de- 
fensive works  for  tliat  post,  where  considerable  sup- 
plies had  been  accumulated  for  ulterior  o])erations 
Avithin  easy  reach  of  Lake  Erie.  Colonel  Leftwich, 
who  temporarily  succeeded  to  the  command  of 
Fort  Mela's,  thinking  only  of  how  soon  he  and  his 
Virginia  militia  would  ivturn  liome,  sto])]H'd  all 
work  (m  the  stockade,  regardless  of  the  exposure  of 
the  stores  and  safety  of  the  troo])s,  and  actually 
})urned  the  ])icketing  for  fuel,  though  a  dense  forest 
was  close  at  hand.  When  Caj)tain  Wood  returned, 
he  found  his  fortifications  nearly  destroyed,  the  2:ar- 
ris<m  ex])osed  to  the  most  inclement  weather,  and 
all  the  costly  stores  an  easy  jH'ey  to  the  enemy. 
Well  might  he  call  Leftwich,  "an  old  phlegmatic 
Dutchman,  who  was  not  even  fit  for  a  pack-horse 
master,  much  less  to  l)e  entrusted  with  such  an  im- 
portant ccmimand." 

Wood  anew  hurried  forward,  with  unabated  ac- 
tivity, his  Sisy[)hus  task  of  ie[)lacing  his  destroyed 
intrenchinents,  at  that  time  an  almost  Herculean 
labor,  the  gari'ison  being  greatly  reduced  by  expira; 
tions  of  enlistments.     But  not  a  moment  was  to  be 


\vei'i 

arri' 

catii 

Wo.| 

are 

comi 

\vhi<| 

l»ac 

(n-ed 

file 

Hot  ,'| 

Miiti 
'>ankl 


LIEUT.-COLOiNKL    ELP:AZKK    D.    W«MH», 


107 


lost  now  tlijit  tlie  iijivi<j:ati(>ii  of  the  lake  ami  river 
was  ()])eii  for  any  meditated  attack  fioni  the  British 
and  their  savage  allies  under  Proetor,  wlio,  elated  by 
his  ])ast  sanii'uinary  siuvess  at  Frenchtown,  saw,  in 
the  future,  visions  of  victory,  j)ers«»nal  glory,  and 
othcial  ])roniotion,  A  report,  at  this  time,  was  jnit  in 
circulation  that  the  whole  of  the  Northwestern  Army 
had  been  ca])ture<l  and  were  on  their  way  to  Montreal 
as  prisoners  of  war.  In  wiitini:".  A]>ril  In,  isl.S, 
from  Fort  Meigs  of  this  re|)oi't,  Ca])tain  Wood  says 
to  his  l)i'other:  "So  far  as  resj»ects  our  being  on  our 
way  to  Montreal,  is  coriect  ;  but  we  take  our  time 
and  choose  our  route.  NO,  brother,  the  Knglish  have 
not  yet  got  the  Northwestern  Army,  and,  what  is 
more,  they  will  never  get  it  until  at  least  l,n<M»  oj- 
1,;")0()  of  them  sh(»uld  be  willing  t<t  lie  down  con- 
tented  in  the  Bed  of  Honour,  which  I  don't  think 
they  will  be  solicitous  of  doing." 

General  Harrison,  with  about  .*?(»<»  men,  which 
were  all  that  could  be  s|)ared  from  the  other  posts, 
airived,  Ai)ril  1  l\  at  the  Kapi<ls,  everything  indi- 
cating a  s])eedy  attack  on  Fort  Meigs.  Caj»tain 
Wood  had  toiled  day  and  night,  until,  says  he,  "we 
are  intrenched  uj)  to  our  teeth,"  to  prej»arp  for  the 
coming  siege  of  the  weakly  garrisoned  work  from 
which  the  bad  roa<ls  and  swollen  streams  Inid  kejit 
back  the  expected  re-inforcements  under  General 
(ireen  CUay.  'J'he  latterV  advance  fortunatelv  readied 
the  fort  before  the  arrival  of  the  enemy,  wh<»  did 
not  a])])ear  in  force  till  the  28th  of  April,  when  the 
British  beijan  to  land  with  their  artillerv  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Mauniee,  their  Indian  allies  going  to  the 


;fk"V 


108 


WESTERN    CAMPATONS    OF    1813. 


ri<!;ht  bank,  tlius  (•()iu]>letely  investing  tlie  fort. 
Proctor  estal»lislie(l  liis  main  camp  two  miles  l)elow 
tlie  Rapids,  jind  constructed  one  mortar  and  two 
ufuii  batteries,  nearly  op])osite  to  the  foi-t,  on  the 
high  l)ank  of  the  river  about  i\0()  yards  from  its 
north  shore,  which  were  completed,  and  opened  their 
tii'e  on  tiie  1st  of  AFay.  In  the  meantime,  Harrison 
had  issued  a  stiri'ing  order  to  the  garrison ;  our 
guns  greatly  im])eded  the  enemy's  operations,  Cajitain 
(iratiot  rising  from  a  sick  bed  to  take  charge  of  a 
])attery  ;  while  the  indefatigable  AVood,  with  the 
whole  army  under  his  control,  with  incredible  rapid- 
ity, ])ushe(l  foi'ward  the  defenses,  mid  dai'k  nights, 
pouring  rains,  and  incessant  annoyance  from  Indian 
l)ullets  and  Hi'itisli  gra[)e  and  shells.  As  the  enemy's 
batteries  commanded  the  fort,  Wood  constructed  on 
the  high  ground,  through  its  middle,  a  traverse  of 
earth,  nearly  a  thousand  feet  long,  twenty  in  wi<lth 
at  base,  and  twelve  feet  high.  What  was  the  as- 
tonishment of  the  British  engineer  when  he  saw  this 
vast  sliield  of  earth,  exposed  to  view  by  the  removal 
of  our  tents  to  the  other  side  of  the  traverse  !  Instea<l 
of  a  doomed  camj),  from  wdiich  Proctor  liad  boasted 
he  would  soon  "  smoke  out  the  Yankees,"  he  found 
h(nv  futile  were  all  the  efforts  of  his  gi-eatly  superior 
force  in  men,  ordnance  and  gun-boats — all  of  which 
had  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  U])on  Fort  Meigs. 
For  five  days  their  cannonading  and  bombarding 
continued,  though  producing  slight  injury  to  our 
defenses  and  garrison,  wh*"  ^  the  American  bat- 
teries rej)lied  with  great  effect.  However,  tlie  scar- 
city of  ammunition  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  pos- 


LIKUT.-COLONEL   KLEAZK!?    I).    WOOD. 


109 


sible  duration  of  the  siege,  compelled  ilie  ecoiioniiz- 
iiig  of  our  artillery  discharijces,  and  often  obliged  us 
to  return  the  enemy's  shot  from  our  own  guns.  Said 
Wood,  "with  plenty  of  ammunition  we  should  have 
blown  John  Bull  from  the  Miami."  Proctor,  now 
seeing  that  his  direct  tire  could  not  effect  his  purpose, 
(HI  the  2d,  under  cover  of  his  gun  boats,  sent  a 
force  of  British  and  In<lians  to  establish  a  battery  of 
twelve  pounders  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Maumee, 
to  take  the  fort  in  Hank  and  reverse ;  all  of  which 
the  divining  Wood  had  anticipated,  and  provided 
against  by  the  erection  of  cross-traverses. 

At  last  General  Green  Clay's  expected  1,200 
Kentucky  militia  were,  on  the  morning  of  the  5th, 
Hearing  the  Rapids  in  eighteen  boats.  Instead  of 
l)eing  allowed  to  form  an  innnediate  junction  with 
the  garrison,  these  troops  were  ordered  to  debark 
above  the  foi't,  two-thirds  on  the  left  bank,  "to  turn 
and  take  the  British  batteries  there,  s[)ike  the  can- 
non, cut  down  the  gun-carriages,  .'ind  regain  their 
boats  as  speedily  as  possible  ; "  while,  simultaneously 
with  this  movement,  "the  remainder  of  the  brigade 
sliould  land  on  the  opposite  shore,  fight  its  way 
through  the  Indians  into  the  camp,  and  thus  favor 
a  .s(}rfi(^  to  be  made  by  the  garrison  upon  the  l^iitish 
))attery  on  the  right  bank." 

This  plan  had  decided  merits  ;  but  its  execution 


was  (le[)en( 


dent 


u 


pon 


)rave 


but 


undiscip 


lined  mili- 


tia, untrained  com[)any  officers,  and  all  without  mili- 
tary experience  or  knowledge  of  the  ground  to  be 
traversed.  Colonel  Dudley,  in  command  on  the 
north  bank,  after  safely  landing,  formed  his  detach- 


no 


WKSTKKX    CAMl'AKJXS    OK    181:5. 


ment  in  tliree  columns,  with  skinnisliers  covcmmul; 
liis  Icftilaiik;  iiuirclied  a  mile  jiiid  a  half  unohservtMl 
thi'(>Ui:;]i  the  wtxMls;  valiantly  fell  upon  the  liritish 
batteries;  captured  their  heavy  guns  then  [)layin<;' 
ujton  Foi-t  Mei<i;s;  spiked  eleven,  without  losim;"  a 
man  ;  and  jMilled  (U)wn  tlie  British  flai,''  amid  wihl 
shouts  fi'om  the  lteleai;'uered  foi't.  Had  Dudley 
oheved  his  orders  and  returned  to  his  hoats,  the 
main    object    of    the    expedition    would    have   been 


DKKENSE    OF     KORT    MKIOS. 


ha])]>ily  acc»>mplished ;  but,  unfortunateiy,  the  ex- 
cessive ardor  of  the  victors,  wlio  had  announced 
their  presence  neai'  the  batteries  bv  loud  Iventucky 
yells,  involved  them,  while  indiscreetly  i^oini*;  to  the 
rescue  of  some  of  their  comrades,  in  a  bush  ti^'ht 
with  a  few  straii'i^dinjj;'  Indiai^s.  These  savai2;es  con- 
trived to  amuse  them  until  Proctor  had  time  to  com- 
pletely cut  off  theii'  retreat,  and  destroy  more  than 
three-fourths  of  the  whole  command  in  its  precipitate 
and  disorderly  rout. 


Foi 

so 

the 

tlie 

seri 

iiiv( 

and 

Vor 

now 

Mal( 

Ilea 

till  a 


vi 


If 


LIKUT.-COLONKL    lOLKAZKIl    D.    Wool). 


Ill 


iij 


While  these  trui^ic  scenes  wei'e  tniiispiriiio;  on  tlie 
left  Imnk  of  the  Miiuniee,  the  reinainder  of  (Ireen's 
Iventuekhins  succeeded,  after  various  niisliai)s,  in 
Hi,ditinu:  their  way  to  tlie  f(U't  witli  ti'iiling  K)ss 
au'ainst  Britisli  artillery  and  Indian  rifles.  Here  they 
were  met  1)V  a  sortie  of  v<)lunteers  and  n  few  reifu- 
lars,  the  united  force  falliui^  u])on  and  utterly  I'oiit- 
\n^^  theii'  dusky  foes. 

C'olonel  Miller,  with  a  detaclinient  of  .'^oO,  com- 
))ose(l  of  the  1  Ttli  and  lUtli  regulai's  with  a  few  vol- 
unteers and  militia,  now  sallied  from  Fort  Meigs; 
furiously  attacked  tlie  motley  enemy  SHO  strong; 
di'ove  tliem  from  the  riglit  bank  battery  at  the  j)oint 
of  tlie  bayonet;  spiked  all  their  guns;  and  dis[)ersed 
them  in  confusion  to  the  woods  and  a  ravine  in  rear. 
Though  Miller  lost  some  brave  men,  he  accomplished 
his  object  and  brought  in  4.'5  pi'isoners  as  trophies  of 
his  hard  won  victory. 

Proctor  now  virtuallv  aban(h)ned  the  sieiji'e  of 
Fort  Meigs.  Though  he  had  defeated  Dudley  and 
regained  his  l)atteries  on  the  left  l)ank,  he  had  been 
so  roughly  handled  that  eventual  success  was  out  of 
the  (juestion.  His  Indian  allies  were  desei'ting  him  ; 
the  Canadian  militia  were  turning  hc^meward  ;  no 
serious  impression  had  been  made  on  the  fort ;  his 
investment  had  failed  to  keej)  out  re-enforcements 
and  supplies;  the  news  of  (renei'al  Pike's  ca])ture  of 
York  luid  reached  the  British  camp  ;  and  notliing 
now  I'emained  to  save  liis  army  but  a  retreat  to 
Maiden.  To  cover  this  movement  and  save  his 
heavy  guns,  wliich  he  could  not  embark  on  the  boats 
till  a  change  of  whid,  he,  with  his  usual  effrontery. 


if: 


lit 


112 


WEtJl'KUN    (.AMFAIGNS    OF    1813. 


Ill' 


rt^sorted  to  tlie  same  device  employed  uii'uiiist  Ilidl 
and  Winchester — att'ecte<l  Inmuiiiity,  ridiculous  uie- 
iiaces,  and  insolent  demands.  Accoi'dini:;ly  lie  sent 
Majoi"  Chambers,  on  the  evening  of  the  oth,  to 
demand  the  immediate  surrender  of  the  foi't  aiul 
army  as  "  the  only  means  left  for  saving  the  latter 
from  the  tomahawks  and  scaljjing-kuives  of  the  sav- 
ages." Harrison,  seeing  through  the  enemy's  finesse, 
and  knowing  Proctor's  practice  in  humanity  at  the 
River  Raisin,  admonished  the  Hi'itish  general  that, 
if  he  rei)eated  his  folly,  he  should  regard  it  as  a 
desisi:ned  insult.  ('liaiiij:iniir  his  tactics.  Proctor,  to 
gain  time  to  embark  his  artillery,  now  made  a  pro- 
j)osal  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners  by  which  he 
delayed  matters  till  the  morning  of  the  9tli,  when, 
the  wind  having  shifted,  the  British  moved  oif  with 
neai'ly  everything  except  a  few  cannon-balls. 

Tlu  whole  foive  of  the  enemy  at  the  siege,  or 
rather  investment,  was  about  GOO  regulars,  800  Can- 
adia.i  militia,  and  1,800  Indians;  while  ours  did 
iioi.  exceed  1,200  for  the  defense  of  a  work  designed 
for  a  garrison  of  more  than  double  that  numbei'. 

Proctor,  in  his  retreat,  left  on  the  banks  of  the 
Maumee  a  record  of  infamy  only  paralleled  by  the 
atrocities  in  the  massacre  of  the  Raisin.  Captain 
Wood  and  others  have  testified  that  on  the  surren- 
der of  Dudley's  command  the  [)risoners  were  niarclie<l 
down  to  Fort  Miami  and  then,  under  the  eye  of 
Proctor  and  his  ofUcers,  the  Indians,  who  had  already 
plundered  them  and  murdered  many  on  the  \vay, 
were  allowed  to  shoot,  tomaliawk,  and  seal})  more 
than  twenty   of  these   defenseless   prisoners,  all  of 


hb 
Wii 

to 

to 

th 

use 

the 

ant 

tain 

Hi'st 

tioi 

dec 


LIKlT.-rCLONKL    ELKAZKU    I).    WOOD. 


113 


wlioiii  would  have  been  despntcliwl  in  tlie  same 
manner  had  not  tlie  hnttdiery  JK'en  stopped  l)y 
Tec'umseli,  a  less  brutal  hiped-hloodhound  than  the 
comniandiui^  <i;enei'al  of  the  army  of  a  civilized 
Christian  nation. 

General  Harrison,  in  his  oiiieial  despatch  of 
May  9,  181  ;i,  to  the  War  Department,  after  com- 
mendini^  the  conduct  of  commandants  of  corps  in 
the  o|)erationsat  Fort  Meigs,  says  :  "  Captain  (Jratiot 
of  the  Engineei's,  having;  ])een  for  a  long  time  much 
indisposed,  the  task  of  fortifying  the  post  devolved 
on  Captain  Wood.  It  could  not  have  been  placed  in 
better  hands.  Permit  me  to  recommend  him  to  the 
President,  and  to  assure  you  that  any  mai'k  of  his  ap- 
[)robation  bestowed  on  Captain  Wood,  would  be  highly 
gratifying  to  the  whole  of  the  troo[)s  who  witnessed 
his  arduous  exertions."  On  this  recomniendati(>n  of 
his  connnanding  general.  Wood  was  brevetted,  May  <>, 
1818,  a  Major  "for  distinguished  services  in  the 
Defense  of  Fort  Meigs."  In  his  order  of  the  day  to 
his  command,  Harrison  further  says  :  "  Where  merit 
was  so  general,  indeed  almost  universal,  it  is  diHicult 
to  discriminate.  The  Ceneral  cannot,  however,  omit 
to  mention  the  names  of  those  whose  situation  gave 
them  an  (Opportunity  of  being  more  particularly 
useful.  From  the  long  illness  of  Ca]>tain  (Iratiot,  of 
the  Corps  of  Engineers,  the  arduous  and  imj)ort- 
ant  duties  of  fortifying  the  camp  devolved  on  Cap- 
tain Wood,  of  that  corps.  In  assigning  to  him  the 
first  palm  of  merit,  as  far  as  relates  to  the  transac- 
tions within  the  works,  the  General  is  convinced  his 
decision  will  be  awarded  by  every  individual  in  the 


i'  ■  i\ 


I'. 


1 

,«i: 


i'. 


'I 


ri'i 


m 


114 


WKSTKKN    (JAMI'AKiNS    OF    1813. 


oanip  \vli<»  witiieMsed  l»is  iu(lefatii::nl>le  exei'tioiiH,  Iuh 
(•(Hisuminatc  skill  in  pi'ovidiiig  for  tlie  safety  of  every 
point,  an«l  in  foiling  any  attempt  of  the  enemy,  and 
his  iindannted  bravery  in  tlx'  perforniance  of  his 
dnty  in  the  most  exposed  situations.  An  unfortu- 
nate WiHiiid  in  the  commencement  of  tlie  siege 
<le[)i'ived  the  General,  after  tliat  time,  of  tlie  able 
services  of  Majoi'  istoddard  of  the  artillery,  wliose 
zeal  and  talents  had  been  eminently  useful.  Cap- 
tain (iratiot,  in  the  remission  of  severe  illness,  took 
charge  of  a  battery,  and  managed  it  with  ability 
and  eit'ect." 

The  retreat  of  Pi'octor  relieving  Harrison  of  all 
inmiediate  apprehension  for  the  safety  of  Fort  Meigs, 
he  left  General  Clay  in  command  of  the  work  and 
stai-ted  for  Lower  Sandusky  to  provide  for  its  better 
protection,  and  then  j»roceeded  to  the  interior  to  se- 
cui'e  tlie  Erie  frontier  against  British  and  Indian 
laids. 

While  Harrison  was  thus  engaged,  Proctor  was 
not  idle,  for  he  knew  Perry's  jH'ogress  in  building 
and  e(jui))ping  his  fleet  at  Prescpie  Isle,  and  that  inac- 
tion was  fatal  to  his  control  over  his  Indian  allies. 
Hence  he  meditated  a  new  demonstration  against 
Fort  ^[eigs,  which  he  hoped  to  carry  by  assault.  On 
leaving  Maiden,  for  this  [)urpose,  his  immense  body 
of  Indians  were  divided  into  three  commands,  re- 
spectively under  Tecumseh,  Dixon,  and  Round  Head. 
Pr(>ct<^)r,  on  reaching  Fort  Meigs,  on  the  2r)th  of  July, 
and  seeing  the  formidable  j)re[)aratioiis  to  receive 
him,  abandoned  the  idea  of  storming  the  work.  His 
substituted  design  was,   with  his  British  troops,  to 


I 


LIKI'T.-COLONKI,    KLKAZKll    D.    Wool). 


115 


nuMiJU'c  tlie  work  in  front ;  luid  to  send  tlu*  Indians  to 
the  wood  in  tli<*  ivjir  of  tlie  fort,  there  l>y  tirini;  and 
yells  to  deceive (leneral  (May  into  tlie  })elief  of  a  )>attle 
being  waited  with  tlie  expected  re-enforeenients  and 
thus  decoy  him  into  sallyinij;  with  his  I'aw  militia  to 
their  rescue;  or  else  Harrison,  hurryin^'to  the  relief  of 
the  j^arrison,  on  his  march  would  fall  into  an  ambus- 
cade  j»re[)aredl)y  the  savai^es  for  his  destruction.  Tlie 
Indians,  failing;  to  deceive  either  Harrison  or  Clay, 
in  a  few  days  became  impatient,  and  their  rations 
fallinu;  short,  Proctor,  on  the  !?Sth,  raised  his  camj), 
sent  back  part  of  his  Indian  allies,  and  with  the  re- 
mainder and  his  British  resi^ulars,  hastened  to  attack 
Lower  Sandusky,  defended  by  a  garrison  not  exceed- 
ing l(iO  men,  in  a  weak  stockade  re(h)ubt,  armed 
with  a  single  worn  out  six-pounder  iron  gun.  For- 
tunately tlie  work  was  commanded  by  the  very  young 
but  brave  Major  Croghan,  who  had  disregarded  Har- 
rison's order  to  abandon  the  redoubt,  "should  the 
enemy  ap))roacli  in  force  and  with  cannon/'  well 
knowing  that  the  remoi'seless  savages  were  in  his 
rear,  and  that  he  had  less  to  fear  from  the  fortune  of 
war  than  from  a  British  attack  in  front.  While 
landing  his  ai'tillery  and  an-anging  his  gun-boats, 
Proctor  demanded  the  surrendei-  of  Fort  Stephen- 
son (mnv  Fremont,  Ohio),  acconi[)aiiie(l  with  the 
usual  menaces  of  Indian  massacre  in  case  of  refusal. 
Croii-han  was  not  to  be  intimidated  into  a  betrayal 
of  his  trust,  whereon  the  enemy's  tire  was  opened 
u])on  him,  and  continued  without  interruption  during 
the  whole  night  of  August  1,  1813.  At  dawn  the 
next  morning,  a  battery   was   ])lanted    within    l>5() 


inm 


ti.:       , 
i'    V.I 


i 


.  X  i. 


116 


AVESTERN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


yards  of  the  Fort  upon  the  northwest  angle  of  wliich 
the  wliole  tire  was  concentrated  till  4  i'.  m.,  when 
the  meditated  real  attack  was  fully  devekiped ;  at  tlje 
same  time  tw^o  feints  were  made  towards  the  south- 
ern anu;le.  Major  Croghan  promptly  hastened  to 
.*treiigthen  tha  menaced  angle  with  bags  of  sand  and 
sacks  of  flour.  Hardly  had  he  completed  this  work 
when  the  enemy,  under  cover  of  the  smoke  of  their 
guns,  rushed  to  within  twenty  paces  of  the  i)ickets, 


where  a  well-directed  volley  from  tlie  gari'ison  stag- 
gered tlie  assailants.  The  storming  i>arty,  (piickly 
rallying,  descended  into  the  ditch,  when  the  head  of 
tlie  column,  only  thirty  feet  distant,  was  completely 
crushed  by  the  heavy  discharge  of  slugs  and  grape 
from  Ch'oghan's  only  gun,  till  then  masked  from 
view.  Few  in  the  ditch  escaped  tlie  carnage,  while 
a  well-aimed   dischai'ge  of  rifles  coni[)leted  the  work 


LrETTT.-COLONEL    ELKAZER    r>.    WOOD. 


117 


of  destriu'tion  of  tlie  sn]>]>ortini»;  t-olninn.  Tlie  few 
survivors  beat  ti  prec*i])i<"jite  retreat,  and  t]ius  was 
the  contest  ended  between  our  1()0  heroes,  and  tlie 
allied  enemy  of  500  British  re<':ulai's  and  800  savages. 
Proctor's  loss  beinc;  about  ir)0,  and  having  no  ho])es 
of  ca])turing  the  fort,  he  ininiediately  returned  to 
Maiden,  with  all  lie  could  collect  of  his  fugitive 
forces. 

It  was  now  more  than  a  year  since  the  declara- 
tion of  war,  yet  we  were  on  the  defensive  far  in  the 
interior  of  the  Northwest,  We  had  lost  much  ter- 
ritory, and  few  gleams  of  victory  by  land  lightened 
up  the  general  gloom  caused  by  our  many  discomfit- 
ures and  the  wretched  mismanagement  of  the  war. 
AVithin  the  same  time,  the  gallant  navy  had  won 
unfading  laurels,  and  to  its  crown  of  glory  was  soon 
to  be  added  Perrv's  brilliant  victorv  over  the  British 
tleet,  giving  us,  Se])t.  10,  1813  the  naval  sujiremacy 
on  Lake  Erie.  This  was  not  only  a  grand  trium])h 
for  that  sister  arm  of  service,  but  it  enabled  the 
Northwestern  army  at  once  to  invade  Canada  and 
put  to  flight  the  enemy  which  so  long  had  baffled 
the  efforts  of  Hull  and  Harrison. 

A  new  invasion  of  Canada  was  now  meditated 
foi"  which  a  force  of  more  than  7,0<M)  regulars  and 
militia  had,  by  the  loth  of  Septenil)ei',  assend)led  on 
the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Krie  ;  and  Perry's  suc- 
cess had  already  removed  all  obstacles  to  a  move- 
ment (m  Maiden.  Accord imflv,  the  end>ai'kation  of 
the  army,  \i])on  Perry's  fleet  and  the  l)oats  prepai'ed 
by  Major  Jesu[)  at  ('leveland,  was  commenced  on  the 
20th  ;  and  its  landing.  Major  Wootl  having  charge 


■  5  ' 


I 


r  JS 


t;M-l 


/ 


118 


WESTERN    CAMPAIOTS^S    OF    1813. 


of  tlie  {ii'tillery,  was  safely  eifected  in  ])attle  order 
on  the  27tli,  at  Hartley^  Point  on  the  C^anada  shore, 
tliree  or  fonr  miles  below  Maiden.*  The  cowardly 
Proctor,  feariiiii:  Kentucky  reti-ibntion  for  his  bar- 
barity, with  the  energy  of  despair  had  already  pre- 
cipitately tied  northward  with  all  the  booty  he  could 
carry,  after  burniii<>;  the  j)iiblic  stores,  niairazines, 
1)arracks,  navy  yard,  and  the  fertile  fields  about 
^[al(len,  In  vain  did  the  more  nol)le  Tecumseh 
remonstrate  against  this  uunnmly  flight  from  over- 
rated danger.  On  the  morning  after  taking  posses- 
sion of  iMalden,  Harrison  eagerly  commenced  the 
pursuit  of  the  enemy;  the  baggage,  provisions  and 
annnunitioii  folhmed  in  boats  and  vessels  bv  the 
l)etr<>it  rivei';  Colonel  Johnsoirs  cavalry  I'eached 
Detroit  on  the  MOth ;  and,  October  4th,  the  united 
force  of  3,000  men  reached  Chatham  on  the  Thames 
river.  Here  a  skirmish  took  ]ilace  for  the  ])ossession 
of  a  bridge,  Wood,  still  in  command  of  the  artillery, 
having  fortunately  driven  off  the  savages  by  a  few 
well-directed  shots  before  any  sei'ious  damage  was 
done  to  the  structure. 

Proctoi',  finding  escajJC  impossible,  goaded  to 
fight  by  Tecumseirs  re]n'oaches,  and  strong  in  every- 
thing but  courage,  at  last,  on  the  ."ith,  stood  at  bay 
near  Moravian  Town.  lie  drew  u])  his  army  in  bat. 
tie  order  at  a  well-chosen  position  in  av.  open  wood, 
his  left  resting  on  the  high,  precipittms  bank  of 
the  Thames,  and  his   right  on  an  impassible  swamp 


*  The  roHsli  ilraft  of  tl)e  order  for  landing  and  marching  up  Detroit  river 
is  among  Wood's  papers,  but  whetlier  prepared  by  him  is  uncertain  tliough 
it  is  in  hid  handwriting. 


l.IEUT.-rOLOXEL    EI.EAZER    I).    WOOD. 


119 


nearly  ])arallel  to  and  about  500  yards  from  the 
riyer,  wliile  a  narrow  niarsli  diyided  his  l)attle-iield 
into  nearly  e(|iial  parts.  The  British  retridai-s,  about 
800,  in  two  lines,  with  the  ai-tillery  eonunandinir  the 
riyer  road,  occupied  the  space  between  the  Tlianies 
and  the  little  marsh  ;  Avhile  the  Indians,  1,2<M>  strong, 
were  posted  between  the  small  and  large  swamps 
and  along  the   margin  of   the  latter,  to  sweep  the 


BATTLE   OK  THE   THAMES. 


ground  oyer  which  Harrison  must  pass  to  attack 
Proctors  front.  The  American  f)rder  of  battle  was 
in  two  lines,  with  a  third  in  I'eserye,  parallel  t<»  the 
enemy's  front;  while  Desha's  diyision,  thr«>wn  back, 
rti  jiofe/we,  nearly  at  right  angles  t<»  our  front,  coy- 
ered  the  left  Hank  from  any  attack  of  the  Indians 
jtosted  im  the  edge  of  the  great  swamp.  AVhen 
ryeiT  preparation  for  attack  was  completed.  Major 


II  ,  I  ■■■  11^ 


120 


wp:stern  campaigns  of  I813. 


AVfKxl,  wlio  liad  just  returned  from  a  close  ivcon- 
iioissance  of  tlie  enemy's  position,  informed  (ireneral 
Harrison  tliat  the  British  lines  were  drawn  u]i  with 
intervals  between  the  files,  which  led  to  the  hi-illiant 
conception  of  ordering;  Johnson's  mounted  reijiment 
forward  to  the  attack,  the  first  battalion  moving 
aujainst  the  Hritish  reo;ulars  while  the  second,  under 
the  Colonel,  encountered  the  Indians  between  the 
two  swamps.  Moving  slowly  through  the  woods, 
after  receiving  two  British  volleys,  and  the  latter 
one  from  the  Indians,  almost  in  theii*  faces,  both 
boldly  charged.  The  British  first  line,  and  then  the 
second,  was  broken  and  scattei'e<l  in  all  directions, 
and  a  destructive  fire  being  poured  u])on  the  rear  of 
the  shattered  lines,  they,  cravenly  crying  for  quarter, 
thi'ew  down  their  ai'ms,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes, 
all,  except  Proctor  and  a  few  fugitives,  wei'e  made 
pi'isoners.  Against  Tecumseh  the  fight  i-aged  longer 
and  more  furiously,  the  Kentuckians  dismounting  in 
the  tliick  woods  and  eufjaLcinjj:  the  Indians  in  a  hand 
to  hand  encounter  with  the  battle  ci'y  of  "  Beniem- 
ber  the  Kiver  Raisin."  A'ictory  on  our  left  seemed 
for  a  moment  doubtful,  when  a  regiment  of  infantry 
with  their  deadly  rifles,  turned  the  scale,  the  sava- 
ges being  j)ut  to  flight,  but  fighting  as  they  fled. 
The  nund)er  of  killed  and  wounde<l  in  this  shoit, 
shaij)  and  decisive  battle  was  comparatively  small  ; 
but  the  trophies  of  victory  were  great — six  cannon, 
r),00O  small  arms,  (WIO  ])risoners,  valuable  spoils, 
recovery  of  Michigan  Teiritory,  ])eace  and  indus- 
try restored  to  our  ex])osed  frontier,  the  utter  rout 
of  the  Britisli  army,  and  the   dissolution  of  the  In- 


lip:ut.-('()Loni:i.  klkazkk  d.  wood. 


1L>1 


(liaii    alliaiu-e,    Tecuiiiseli,    tlieir    l)ia\e    and   ilistiii- 
i^uislied  leader,  being  slain. 

Tec'uniseli  was  al)<)Ut  forty-tive  wlien  lie  fell  in 
tlie  flight,  lie  was  a  Sliawncjese  savaire  of  lieroic 
nionld,  as  uracefully  i)r(>])()rti()ned  as  a  (ireek  statne. 
and  liis  [tenetratinsi;  eyes  illumined  his  sad,  stern 
countenance.  He  was  a  horn  leader  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  wilderness  ovei'  whom  he  was  omni}>o. 
tent;  and  was  alike  the  liiiht  of  the  canij>-fire  and 
wisdom  of  the  council.  Insidious  in  jnejtarini:;  as 
undaunted  in  executinu'  enter])rises,  in  liis  despeiate 
forays  he  wielded  foi"  their  success  the  influence  of 
an  hundred  wari'iois.  Thouu'h  a  <lemon  «»f  niiscliief 
and  rapacious  of  plundei-,  he  was  uvnerous  t<>  foes 
and  lavish  of  his  liains.  In  the  control  of  his 
people  he  was  cuunlni^  and  ))lausil>le,  and  fired  their 
passions  l>y  his  nei'xous,  lilowinu  and  impressive 
ehxjuence  ;  in  niilitaiy  jicnius  and  manhood  he 
eclipsed  his  British  chief,  who  to  him  owed  nearly  all 
he  had  won,  e.\ce))t  his  heritage  of  iid'amy;  and  in 
line,  Tecujuseh  was  a  j)otentate  unitinir  the  prowess 
of  Achilles  and  the  authority  of  Airaniemnon. 

In  Ilai'rison's  official  des])atch  <)f  the  liattle  of 
the  Thames,  aftei'  complimentinu'  those  of  hiirhei- 
raidv,  he  says:  "Major  Wood  of  the  Kngineers, 
alivady  distini;iiislu'd  l>y  his  conduct  at  f'oit  Meiirs, 
attended  the  army  with  tw(>  six-[)ounders.  IlaviuLr 
no  use  for  them  in  the  action,  he  joined  the  [)Ui'suit  of 
the  enemy,  and  with  Majoi-  Payne  of  the  mounted 
ren'inient,  two  of  my  aids-de-cam[> — Todd  an«]  Cham- 
hers — and  three  privates,  continued  it  f<u-  several 
miles  aftei'  tlie  rest  of  the  troops  had  halted,"     The 


"ji 


I      ' 


122 


WIOSTEUN^    CAMPAKINS    OF    ISliJ. 


j)m'suiii<^  foi'cc  secured  iilxnit  fifty  [»ris(nu*rs,  and, 
tli()iiu;li  mial)l«'  to  overtake  I^roctor,  Wood  sueeeeded 
ill  eaptiu'iiiu'  his  sword,  liat,  i)aj)ers,  trunk  and  car- 
riaii^e.  Wood  ami  Todd  heinu;  far  in  advance  of  thv 
otluTs,  a  mounted  I^ritish  otHeer,  who  was  among 
tlie  ea])ture(l,  endeavoui'ed  ti'eaclierously  to  slioot 
Todd.  This  attemj)t  was  instantly  discovered  ])y 
Major  Wood  who  struck  tlie  assassin  down  \vith  liis 
sword,  and  thus  saved  the  life  of  his  com[>anion-in- 
arms,  who,  sui)se(juently,  after  filling  many  imj)ortant 
civil  offices  in  Kentucky,  ))ecame  in  1841-45  United 
(States  Minister  to  Russia. 

This  battle,  the  last  whicli  llari-ison  evei- fought, 
gave  him  extraordinary  rejuitation,  and  his  laui'els, 
thei'e  won,  [)rol)al)Iy  [)i"omot(Ml  him  in  1(S41  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States.  Doubtless  this 
last  was  the  best  of  his  three  cam[)aigns,  for  the 
conduct  of  which  he  had  more  experience,  a  Letter 
knowledge  of  the  enemy,  a  pre])onderance  of  regu- 
lai'  ti'oo])s,  his  staff  composed  of  skilled  officers,  and 
an  unmolested  control  of  water  trans])ortation  for 
liis  brave  troops  and  his  ani])le  supj)lies.  But  much 
of  his  good  fortune  was  due  to  the  pusillanimity, 
inefficiency  and  blundei's  of  Proctoi' ;  and,  as  Chat- 
liani  said,  "the  degrading  of  an  army  of  soldiers 
into  a  1)and  of  maraudei-s  and  assassins."  The  chief 
omissions  of  Proctor  were: 

Mrsf :  After  the  ice  liad  disap[)eared  fVom  the 
Lakes  in  l.Sl.H,  ha<l  the  Pritish  general,  instea<l  of 
wasting  his  strength  against  the  fortified  positions 
at  the  Maumee  Ra|)ids  and  Lower  Sandusky,  sent  a 
strong  force  with    Baivlay's  fleet  against  Cleveland 


LrKin'.-roLoxEr.  !:ij:.\/i;i;  d.   wood. 


1  'j;? 


jukI  Kric,  \\v  rould    liiivc  cMptiircfl    all   <»ur   Itoats  at 
tlie  foi'iMcr  place  and  !)uni('(l  Pci'i'v's  fleet  in  the  l)ay 


() 


f  I 


i'es(iue 


lsl( 


StcoixJ :  By  igiumiiiiiously  ruiuiiiiii"  away  and  <le- 
sti'oyiiin"  his  defenses,  Ilai'risonV  landing  in  Canada 
was  un<)])])osed,  and  the  sniokiiiLj  I'nins  of  Mahlen 
checked  liini  not  a  moment.  Tin'  British  retreat 
from  Sandwich  ]>e<j^an  Se])tend)er  L^Sth,  and  tlie 
Amei'ican  pursnit  not  till  October  2d,  conseipiently 
we  reached  the  Thames  in  less  than  half  the  time 
the  enemy  consn?ned  to  make  this  maich  to  that 
hattle-field.  Onr  ])ath  thronu;h  tlie  foi'est  was  unol)- 
strncted  by  the  fellinL!;  of  a  ti'ee,  scarce  a  boat  was  de- 
stroyed, and  tlie  bridi^es  wei-e  left  nearly  intact  Hj)on 
our  ap])roacli.  What  a  conti'ast  to  the  impediments 
inter[)osed  by  Schuyler  to  Burii'oyiK^'s  adxance  on 
Sai'atoi^a  in  1777!  Here  Harrison  mai*clie(l  in  a 
country,  covereil  with  foiests  and  intersected  with 
mai'shes  and  streams,  ///  ////V7  (Uid a  Ji<(lf<I<n/s,  double 
the  distanc*'  that  Huro'oyne,  with  his  utmost  eifoi'ts, 
moved  over  in  tlu'  Hudson  valley,  from  Scanesbo- 
I'ouuh     (Whitehall)     to     I^emus     Heights    in    t'i<jlif 


ircf 


h 


Third :  Though  choosing  a  vei-y  advantageous 
battle-field  on  the  Thames,  Proctoi'  neglected  to 
cover  the  front  of  his  deni(»i-ali/e(l  army  with  the 
simplest  intrencliinent  oi- even  a  strong  abatis;  and 
then  foi'ined  his  forces  in  open  oi-<ler  of  battle, 
through  the  files  (»f  which  oui'  mounted  rifiemen 
])asse(l  without  difficulty,  winning  their  victory  in  ten 
minutes,  and  caj»turing  almost  evei'ything  except  the 
cowardly  commander  of  the  Hi'itish  an<l  allied  trooj)s. 


124 


WESTERN    OAMPArONS    OF    1813. 


35ai|jjj 


Tlie  Ainericaii  unuy  had  now  made  i'oiii'  cam- 
paiii'iis  ill  tln'  Nortliwest  ai^aiiist  the  treacherous 
eU'iiients  and  tlie  iiKH'e  treacherous  foe  ;  yet,  with  all 
our  saeritiees,  we  were,  territorially,  after  sixteen 
months  of  sore  trial,  just  whei'e  we  began  in  this 
ill-directed  war. 

After  the  Thames  cam])aign,  Major  Wood  accom- 
])anied  Harrison  to  the  Niagara  frontier;  but  the 
General,  in  November,  having  gone  on  leave  of  al)- 
seuce  to  see  liis  family,  and  the  season  foi-  active 
oj)erations  lieing  over.  Wood  returned  to  the  head- 
(|uarters  of  the  Corps  of  Engineei's  at  AVest  IN)int, 
where,  during  the  winter,  he  was  deeply  absorbed 
in  study  and  [>rej)aration  for  coming  events. 

Major-General  -Jacob  Brown,  who  had  so  bravely 
defended  Sackett's  Harbor,  May  L>tl,  1  SI 8,  and  had 
commanded  the  elite  of  the  army  in  Wilkinson's 
descent  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  1S18,  had,  as  early 
as  February  1814,  been  designated  by  the  Secretary 
of  War  as  the  General-in-Chief  of  the  force  whicli 
subseijuently  became  the  Army  of  the  Niagara,  of 
which  Major  ^[cKee  was  to  l)e  the  Chief  Engineer, 
assisted  by  Brevet  Major  A\\K)d  with  laurels  freshly 
won  in  the  Northwest.  On  the  iJUh  of  P^'ebriiary, 
the  latter,  under  orders  received  the  10th,  left  West 
Point,  and  repaired,  tirst  to  Albany  and  then  to 
C'anandaigua,  N.  Y.,  to  take  part  in  the  pi-eparatory 
ai'rangemeiits  for  the  coining  campaign.  In  a  letter 
to  a  brother  engineer,  dated  Feb.  21,  1814,  after 
detailing  some  of  these  ])re[)arations,  Wood  says: 
"  I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  do  something  for  the 
honor  of  the  service  in  the  spring.'"     Soon  after  he 


f 


1'^ 

o 

en 
ba 
tec 
\\a 
T 

Vo 

Sc( 
Sc( 
me 
<lai 
fin 


O) 


TT 


LTEUT.-OOLONEL    EI.ICAZEI!    I>,    WOfiD. 


1  2'y 


was  tt'iM[)()i'iirily  ('iii!:.'ii;e(l,  from  A|»i'il  i^"),  to  Mmv  "iC), 
1S14,  ill  streiii:;tluMiiiig  the  defenses  of  Sac-kett's 
Ihirhor. 

Eui'lv  ill  June  tlie  openiiiii'  of  tlie  caiii])ni^'n  was 
e.\))eete(l  ;  l)iit  the  first  stej>  did  ii<)t  take  |)hiee  till 
eliilv  .'?d,  wlieii  the  Xiai^ara  was  crossed  by  Brown 
and  Fort  Erie  ea])tiired.  Under  Meliee,  tlie  C'liief 
Enn'ineer,  Wood  was  actively  employed  in  crossini^ 
the  ordnance  over  the  river,  recoiinoitriiiii'  the  fort, 
and  selectiiiiLi'  sites,  on  the  left  l)ank,  for  batteries, 
only  one  of  which,  for  1<S  j)oiinders,  was  established 
before  the  work  sui'rendered.  The  snbseijiient 
events  which  transj>ire(l  in  this  campaiuii  will  be 
detailed  in  this  chaptci-,  only  so  far  as  Major  Wood 
was  directly  connected  with  them. 

Wood,  on  the  ."itli,  accomj)anied  (leneral  Porter's 
small  force  of  Pennsylvania  V<»liiiiteers  and  Indians 
which  endeavored  to  interpose  between  a  British 
skirmishing  party  and  their  main  bo<ly  at  C-liip- 
])ewa.  Porter  was  successful  in  ])uttinu;  an  outj)ost 
of  the  enemy's  light  trooi)s  to  Hight;  but  soon  after, 
encountering  the  whole  Hi'itish  force  advancing  in 
battle  order,  lie  was  comjtelled  to  retreat  t()  the  j)ro- 
tection  of  the  left  of  General  Scott's  Brigade,  wiiicli 
was  advancing  to  the  attack  and  defeat  of  the  enemy. 
Towson's  Battery,  (me  of  the  guns  of  which  Wood 
volunteered  to  serve,  <lid  admirable  execution  on 
Scott's  right.  At  the  close  of  this  gallant  tight,  when 
Scott  drove  Uiall  to  th  ^  ])r()tectioii  of  his  intrench- 
meiits  beyond  (vhippewa  Creek,  Wood  made  a  most 
daring  recoiinoissance  nearly  up  to  its  right  bank, 
finding  the  bridge  across  it  covere<l  by  a  tete-<Je-pont 


;|l 


TT 


120) 


WKSTKKX    r.VAIPAKJXS    OK    1813. 


ItjitttM'v,  and  its  planking-  torn  iij),  wliicli  j>i('\  »'iit(Ml 
the  t'uitln'r  puisiilt  of  tlie  eneiuy.  "  Wood's  repoit 
of  this  r«'foiinoissanct',  and  the  lateness  of  the  hour/' 
says  (ieii.  I^rown,  induced  him  "to  older  the  forces 
to  retii'e  to  eanij)." 

After  tlie  l»urial  of  the  dead,  and  ivnioval  of  tlie 
wounded,  tlie  engineers  were  eiieriietieally  oc('Uj)ied 


in  reeoiiiioiteriiig  the  adjaeeiit  eoiintry  to  ascertain 
the  |)ractical)ility  of  attackinii'  the  front  or  turnini:; 
the  right  Hank  ot  UialTs  strong  jtositioii  covered  in 
front  by  Chippewa  Creek  and  on  the  left  hy  the  Niag- 
a  River.    The  result  of  this  recoiiiioissance  was  the 


ai 


discovery  of  an  old  disused  road  leading  to  tlie  junc- 
tion of  Lyon's  Creek  witli  tlie  Chippewa,  which,  in 
the  o|)inion  of  both  McKee  and  Wood,  could  be  and 
was  made  practicable  during  the  day  for  wagons  and 
artillery,  Karly  on  the  8th,  the  British  (leneral, 
alarmed  at  the  raj)id  progress  of  our  flanking  opera- 
tions and  the  menacing  attitude  of  Scott  in  his  front, 
which  threatened  his  capture  or  destruction,  wisely 
decided  to  al»andon  his  cani]>,  disable  his  artillery, 
and  retreat  ra[)idly.  Throwing  i)art  of  his  force  into 
Forts  (leorge  and  Mississaiiga,  liiall  fell  back  twelve 
miles  further  U[)  the  Lake  to  Twenty-Mile  Creek, 
desiii'iiiiii'-  to  i>roceed  to  Burliiijj'ton  ITeiidits,  and 
there  await  re-enforcements. 

Brown,  on  the  0th,  followed  the  enemy  and  on 
the  next  day  established  his  camp  on  the  [)laiiis  of 
Queenstown.  At  a  council  of  \\ai',  held  on  the 
14th,  McHee,  Wood,  and  a  majority  of  the  officers, 
urged  an  immediate  attack  on  Riall  before  he  could 
be  re-enforced  :  but  Brown  and  the  minority  advised 


Th 
nia 
at 


Bi 


LIKUT.-COLONKL    KLKAZKIl    D.    \V<«>|). 


127 


I 


jui  investment  of  Fort  dreori^e,  tlioiii^li  the  arni\   IijkI 
no  Hieo;e  artillery. 

Major  Wood,  on  the  ir)th,  acconijianied  (Jenei'al 
Porter's  liriuade  <»f  \01unteers,  with  two  pieees  of 
artillery  to  within  a  mile,  in  full  view  of  Fort 
(teorge,  and  tluMi  with  a  stroni^  eseort  advanced  elose 
enoui2:h  to  make  a  i)erfect  reconnoissanee  of  the  woi'k. 

Brown  was  pre])ared  to  invest  Fort  (leori^e.  On 
tlie  2(>th,  tlie  advance  took  phice  to  witliin  a  mile  of 
the  work,  and  on  the  next  day  Wood  and  I)ontii:lass 
of  the  eniiineers,  made  u  dashing  reconnoissanee  un- 
dej'  an  incessant  tire  of  the  enemy,  to  within  7<>(> 
yards  of  tlie  fort,  enal)linL!:  them  to  ascertain  rlie 
niind)er,  location  and  character  ()f  all  the  lefenses, 
new  and  old. 

The  American  Coinman<ler,  on  the  22(1,  being 
a])|)rised  that  Kiall  had  been  re-enfoived,  withdrew 
t(>  Qneenstown  Heights,  and  the  day  after,  learning 
there  was  no  ho[)e  of  C/ommodore  Chauncey's  co-op- 
eration, or  of  any  re-enforcements  reachinu"  his  own 
army,  he  continued  his  retreat  to  the  strong  position 
of  Chi])pewa,  there  to  be  governed  by  circumstances. 
The  British  followed,  their  advance,  after  u  f(>rce<l 
march,  encam])ing  on  the  25tli  on  a  small  eminence 
at  Lundy's  Lane. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  25th,  Major  Wood,  with 
a  countenance  of  unusual  animation,  riding  up  to 
Lieutenant  Douglass,  of  the  Engineers,  said  :  "The 
British  are  understood  to  be  ciossing  the  Niagara 
at  Queenstown,  and  threatening  a  dash  up  the  river 
on  that  side.  They  are  also  in  movement  on  this 
side.     We  wish  to  Mud  out  what  their  dispositions 


m 


inr 


128 


WKSTKUX    f!AMI»AI(i.\S    OF    1813. 


an*;  and  tli<' (Ictacliiiiciit  l>('f(>r<'  us,  uiidrr  the  <'(>in- 
iiiand  of  (ieiKMVil  Scott,  is  oidcrcd  to  make  a  iccoii- 
iioissaiict*  and  create  a  di\  ('rsi<»ii,  should  circum- 
stances i-eijiiirc  ;  and,  if  we  meet  tlie  enemy,  we  shall 
j)r(»l»al>ly  feel  his  jjulse.""  Both  olhcers  iuinuMliately 
rode  forward  to  the  front  of  the  vanuiiaid,  and  aftei- 
ju'oceedinu'  three-fourths  of  a  luile,  i-eached  the  resi- 
dence of  Mrs.  Wilson  near  the 'i'alde-rock,  at  Niauara 
Falls.  Had  they  arrived  ten  luinutes  earlier,  they 
would  have  ca|)tui'ed  (ieiu'ial  Iliall,  with  his 
whole  staff,  who  had  just  h'ft  tht^  house  to  join  his 
command,  which  was  innnediateiy  aftei-  eiiLrau'cd 
witli  Scott's  Hri^ade.  Thus  he^an  the  l»rilliant  Hattle 
of  Xiai^aia,  where  the  Ameiican  Army  won  unfadiiii:: 
laurels  in  its  terrible  coutlict  with  tlie  greatly  supe- 
rior Hritisli  force,  lar«i:;ely  composed  of  veterans 
fresh  from  victories  o\er  the  ureat  Marshals  of  the 
Coiujuenu-  of  Kurope.      In  hisotlicial  account  of  this 


l»attle,  (leneral  Brown  sav 


T 


lie  enu'ineer 


M 


ijor 


McKee  and  \\ Ood,  were  ^-reatly  distinii'uished  on 
thi »  day,  and  theii'  hiuh  military  talents  exerted 
with  great  effect  ;  they  were  much  under  my  eye, 
and  near  my  |)erson,  and  to  their  assistance  a  ureat 
deal  is  to  he  fairly  asci'ihed.  I  most  earnestly 
recommend  them  as  worthy  of  the  highest  trust  and 
Accord iiiLclv,  I )oth  were  l>i-evetted  liieu- 


coi 


ifi<l 


ence. 


tenant-Cohmels  "  f«u- gallant  conduct  in  the  I^attle  of 
Niagara."  These  two  Enu:ineers  andTirigadier-(ien- 
eral  Scott  were  tlie  only  officers  w  ho,  foi'  their  meri- 
torious services  in  that  fiei'ce  contest  were,  at  that 
time,  siimled  out  for  honora])le  distinction  l>y  brevets 
to  a  higlier  gratle. 


f   n 


LIEUT.-(."OLONP:ri    ELKAZKU    I).    WOOD. 


129 


Fi'oin  tills  point  it  was  tin*  iiit«'ntioii  of  (MMicral 
I{i|)l«'V,  wlio  succeeded  to  the  cinimiaiid  (»f  the  aiMiiy 
on  lii'own's  and  Sc(>tt's  disability  from  woun<ls,  to 
retreat  acioss  the  Niai^ara  into  our  own  territory; 
a  disastei-  which  was  only  ]>revented  hy  the  advice 
of  Mclvee  and  Wood.  When  the  |>i<)|Ktsition  was 
aL''ain  submitted,  these  aide  euLrineers  were  consulted 
hy  (leneial  Hr(»wn,  who  administeied  a  severe  re- 
l)uke  to  his  subordinate,  Hipley,  and  soon  after  su- 
]>ei'seded  him  liy  the  appointment  of  (Jeneral  E.  I*. 
(laines  to  the  c(»mmand. 

Brown,  on  the  "iTth,  ordered  Kipley  to  take  u]) 
a  jjood  p<>sition  just  above  Fort  Eiie,  and  personally 
directed  the  enuineei's  to  strengthen  and  extend  the 
woi'ks  to  sustain  a  siege.  Day  and  niirht  they 
labored  at  their  heavy  task  to  tiansfoiin  a  feeble 
f<)rt  into  a  strong  fortification.  Lieutenant-! Jeneral 
Drunmiond,  the  Biitish  commandei',  invested  the 
American  intrenchments  August  'U\,  and  continued 
the  siege  (d*  the  camp  till  Sei)tembei'  17th,  when 
Ri'own's  successful  sortie  destroyed  the  enemy's 
laboi's  of  forty-five  days,  comjtelled  his  reti'eat,  an<l 
vii-tually  terminated  the  Niagara  Campaign. 

In  the  defense  of  our  intrenchments,  Wood  not 
only  ]»ei-formed  his  duty  as  an  engineer,  but  took 
conunand,  for  the  j)rotection  of  the  ex])osed  left  <>f 
our  line,  of  the  gallant  Twenty-first  Infantry,  with 
which  the  brave  Miller  ha<l  carried  the  British  bat. 
tery  on  the  hill  at  Lundy's  Lane,  lie  and  McKee, 
constantly  on  the  alert,  on  the  evening  of  the  14th 
of  August  made  careful  inspection  of  the  works 
and    ])i'e])ared    everything    to   meet   an    anticipated 


'  I 


l:i 


1'  I 
1'  I 


w, 


130 


WESTERN    CAMPAICtNS    OF    1813, 


Til 


attack  befoi'e  (Lnvii  of  tlie  next  moniiii^".  lliey 
were  not  mistaken  in  tlieir  jn'edictions,  wliicli  were 
I'ealized  before  dayli^-lit  of  the  lotli,  by  siniulta- 
net)Us  assaults  of  British  columns  on  oui-  right, 
centre  and  left.  The  latter,  1,4(M)  strong,  under 
Lieut.-Colonel  Fisher,  was  to  escalade  Towson's  ])at- 
tery,  and  storm  AVood's  defenses  between  it  and  the 
lake.  What  was  liis  astonishment  wlien,  instead  of 
finding  tlie  garrison  asleep,  his  advancing  ranks 
were  lit  up  by  a  volley  of  flame  from  AN^xxVs  in- 
fantry, while  the  batteiy,  twenty  feet  higher,  [touivd 
forth  a  conthmous  blaze  of  artillery  tire,  giving  it 
from  that  night  the  appellation  of  "Towson's  Light- 
house!'' Failins;  to  carry  the  battery  or  penetrate 
the  abatis,  the  British,  wading  in  the  lake,  attempted 
to  turn  our  left,  but  after  a  des])erate  sti'uggle  were 
i-epulsed.  Five  times  with  fixed  bayonets  they 
moved  to  the  assault  of  AVood's  defenses  and  as 
often  were  foiled,  till,  finding  their  closed  ranks 
mowed  down  with  musketry,  gra])e  and  canister,  tlie 
l)eaten  Bi'itish  abandoned  the  fruitless  contest.  In 
this  defense,  says  (xeneral  Ki])ley  in  his  official 
re[)oi-t :  "  AVood  has  tlie  merit,  with  the  Spai'tan 
band,  in  connection  with  (^ii)tain  Towson's  artillery, 
of  defeatinir  a  vaunted  foe  of  six  times  his  force.'' 
The  attacks  of  the  other  column  were  ecpially  unsuc- 
cessful. 

Colonel  AVood's  official  dis])atch,  dated  Aug.  1(>, 
1H14,  of  the  oj)ei'ations  of  his  command  in  the 
Assault  of  Fort  Erie  on  the  night  of  the  14th, 
we  give  entire,  never  having  seen  it  in  ])rint.  lie 
says: '"In  obedience  to  your  instructions,   1  have 


LTETTT.-COLONEL    ELEAZEll    D.    WOOD. 


181 


tlie  lienor  to  report  tlie  gallant  conduct  of  my  com- 
mand during  the  attack  wliicli  took  place  on  the 
night  of  the  fourteenth  instant  : 

"I  cannot  do  greater  justice  to  the  troo])s,  which 
1  had  the  honor  to  command  on  that  occasion,  than 
to  state  that  the  Twenty-tirst  infantry,  together  with 
a  small  detachment  of  the  Seventeenth  un<ler  Ca])- 
tain  Chunn,  in  all  about  three  hundred  men,  aided 
by  the  skill  and  activity  of  that  distinguished  olticer, 
Ca])tain  Towson  of  the  Artillery,  who  conunandcd 
the  battery  on  Snake  Hill,  met  and  rejtulsed  five 
im]>etuous  charges  given  by  Colonel  Fisher  at  the 
head  of  fourteen  hundred  British  I'eii'ulars.  These 
troops  were  formed  in  columns  of  attack  and  storiued 
without  Hints  in  their  nuiskets.  Our  lines  were 
completely  manned  and  every  thing  ready  to  receive 
the  enemy  when  he  a})i)roached.  And,  ])erhaps,  a 
more  signal  examjde  of  tii-mness  and  steady  valour 
was  seldom,  if  ever,  given  by  the  veterans  of  Europe. 
Finding  himself  ivpulsed  at  all  j)oints  with  great 
slaughter,  Colonel  Fishei'  saw  lit  to  retire  with  his 
shattered  colunuis  at  dawn  of  day. 

"For  the  happy  result,  which  crowned  oui'  arms 
at  this  particular  ])oint,  I  am  under  great  obliga- 
tions t(>  Ca])tains  Marston  and  Ro]»es,  the  former 
of  whom  conmianded  on  the  left  and  the  latter  com- 
manded the  Cor])s  of  Reserves  which  i'e|»ulsed  the 
enemy  at  the  i'd^Xi'  of  the  water  after  he  had  turned 
the  left  of  the  abatis  and  completely  gaine<l  mv 
I'ear.  Capt.  Chunn,  who  commanch^d  on  my  right, 
had  not  the  good  fortune  to  come  in  contact  wit!) 
the  enemy    until  he  A\as  sent  to  re-enforce  the  gar- 


132 


WESTKRX    OAAtl'MONS    OF    1813. 


I'ison  at  Fort  Ei-i<'  wlu'ie  lie  had  a  fair  opj^ortunity 
and  Leliaved  Avitli  ureal  skill  and  bravery  in  exjiel- 
ling  the  enemy  from  that  j>laee.  The  small  re-en- 
forcements of  riilemen,  A\hich  airived  before  the 
enemy  made  his  last'chari2;e,  under  that  brave  ot!icer 
Capt.  Birdsall,  rendered  me  eonsidei'able  service. 

"  Lieutenants  Bowman,  llid<lle,  Hall,  Larned  nnd 
Ensigns  Bean,  Neely,  (liven,  Jones,  CUimmings  and 
Thomas  were  all  extremely  active  and  perfc.rmed 
their  duty  with  alacrity.  I  have  to  regret  that  the 
army  is  deprived  of  the  services  of  Lieutenant 
Bushnell  and  Ensign  Cissney,  both  of  whom  are 
severely  if  not  mortally  wounded.  Our  tro])hies  in 
the  morning  were  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
])risoiiers  and  a  considerable  num])er  of  scaling 
ladders,  ])icks,  axes,  etc." 

Both  belligerents  no\v  prepared  for  another  strug- 
gle. Brown,  seeing  his  impending  danger  from  the 
greatly  superior  numbers  of  his  antagonist,  deter- 
mined to  attempt  the  bold  design  of  destroying  the 
enemy's  siege- works  by  a  sortie  from  our  intrench- 
meiits,  to  which  the  engineers  gave  a  hearty  concur- 
rence. Towards  noon  of  September  ITtli,  (leneral 
Porter  on  the  left,  aiwl  (leneral  Miller  in  the  centre 
sallied  fortli  witli  their  res})ective  divisions.  Wood, 
leading  the  former  as  engineer,  and,  at  tlie  same  time 
commanding  a  column  com]>osed  of  400  regidars 
from  the  21st  and  25111  infantry,  followed  by  500 
volunteers  and  militia.  The  enemy  was  sur[)rised, 
his  batteries  captured,  cannon  and  carriages  destroye<l, 
maga/ines  blown  U[),  numerous  prisoners  taken,  and 
the  objects  of  the  sortie  fully  accomplished.      Porter's 


lieitt.-colonp:l  ELj:AZf:R  d.  wood. 


133 


victor  'vas  complete;  but  it  was  won  at  a  feai-fiil 
cost,  ;  >  tliree  pi'iiicij)al  leaders  being  moi-tally 
wounded.  "  Anions;  our  losses,"  says  Lieut.  Douglass 
of  the  engineers,  ''I  liave  the  sorrow  to  name  our 
ever  to  be  lamented  and  gallant  friend,  Colonel 
AVood.  He  went  out  with  the  volunteer  division, 
and,  amidst  the  confusion  which  necessarily  attends 
a  fight  in  the  woods,  was,  somehow,  separate<l  from 
them.  When  they  retiu'ned  after  the  battle,  he  was 
missing.  En(|uiiy  was  made,  next  day,  by  a  fl.ig ; 
an<l  we  received  the  unwelcome  intelligence  that  he 
was  mortally  wounded  in  the  action,  and  <lied  in  the 
Hi'itish  cainji,  the  night  after,  })rofessing,  it  is  said, 
the  most  ardent  attachment  to  his  country,  and  a 
jealous  solicitude  for  the  honor  (►f  her  arms,  com- 
mending her,  with  his  last  breath,  to  the  favor  and 
protection  of  the  Almighty." 

"Oil  (leatli  resistless!  how  tliy  sovereign  sway, 
Sweeps  from  our  earth  its  fairest  sons  away. 
Columbia  mourns  ;  thy  favorite  Wood's  no  more, 
Ho  bravely  fell  on  Erie's  hostile  shore  ; 
Could  angels  weep  to  view  a  mortal's  doom, 
Celestial  pity  would  bedew  his  tomb. 
*****        He  was  by  all  admired, 
By  age  respected  and  by  youth  revered, 
His  friends  with  pleasure  viewed  his  rir-ing  fame. 
And  dwelt  with  transport  on  his  honored  name  ; 
When  lo !  a  cloud  ascending  from  the  North, 
Blackening  still  deeper  as  it  rolled  forth  ; 
Death  rode  upon  the  whirlwind  as  it  came, 
Mid  l)lood  and  slaughter  and  devourinir  tlame  ; 
Arm'd  with  his  dart — commissioned  from  on  high. 
Wood  felt  the  wound  ;  and  knew  that  he  must  die. 
Oil  no  soft  down  his  l)l('eiling  form  was  laid, 
No  mother  dear  sustained  his  sinking  heail  ; 
No  sister  kind  whom  soft  afl'ections  move. 
Stood  round  his  couch  to  pour  the  balm  of  love, 


tai 


7'- 


Mm 


;:,JviK 


Mil 


-li 


■mfji 


AS 


mt 


m 


134 


WKSTKUN    ("AHI'AIOXS    (»K    IHlli. 


Rut  Goil  was  lln'n>— liis  spirit  inovM  aroiiml 
III  Holomii  .silfiio*  ;  wliili!  a  licav'iil.v  sound, 
111  blissful  acconts,  such  as  angels  brnatlic, 
WIkmi  siMit  iiiiiiiorlal  lilossiiij^s  to  hciiucatlic, 
Uoso  in  his  car  ;  ami  in  thai  awful  paiiso, 
Wood  iIIcmI,  a  inarty.'  in  a  i^donoiis  cause." 


Tims  (Midcd  tlic  )>ri(vf'  mikI  bfilliuut  cnreer  <>f  tliis 
iiobU^  soldit'i',  wlio  had  few  <MHials;md  was  surpassed 


1) 


f( 


oiniLT  Jii  aiii' 


)y  none  ot  Ins  [M'oTcssion  and  peers, 
lie  was  a  veteran  in  the  art  of  war.  His  eioht  years 
of  army  life  "  luid  imiforndy  been  jm  exhibition  of 
military  skill,  aeute  jndi!;ment  and  heroic  \alor;'' 
and,  in  the  lanii;naiie  of  his  commandiiij;  general, 
"no  oiiieer  of  his  ii:;rade  eoiild  have  contributed  more 
to  tlie  sjifety  and  honor  of  the  ai'my."  lie  wastndy 
tlie  scml  and  ti^enius  of  every  enterj)rise  in  which  he 


was  eniraired  ;  one  o 


.f  "  tl 


le  nmnoi 


■tal 


names 


that 


were 


not  born  to  die,"  His  dtiily  companions  loved  him, 
for  he  was  social  and  i!;enial,  the  most  honorable  and 
i^enerons  of  men,  and  as  affectionate  and  ii;entle  as  a 
maiden.  His  otficial  snperiors  vied  in  their  ti'ibiites 
to  his  worth,  for  he  was  the  intellectii;d  lii^dit  of  the 
council  and  the  lion  of  the  battle-tieM.  'I'hotin'h 
e.vtremely  retiring!;  and  modest  in  manner,  his  foi'm, 
features,  military  air  and  bearing;  disclosed  the  beau- 
ideal  soldier,  the  \\"a\  fn-riir  clK-rdlirr^  wlio,  wherever 
dan_i»;er  ai»i)eared,  was  there  as  calm,  fearless  and 
self-[)ossessed  as  u|)on  a  (piiet  ])ai'ad(\  0\\  the  field 
of  Niai>;ara,  meetinu'  Brown  almost  faintinu;  fVom  his 
wound,  Wood  exclaimed,  with  u^reat  emotion  :  "Never 
mind,  my  dear  (ieneral,  you  arenaininii;theL!:reatestvic- 
torv  which  has  ever  been  won  f'oi- \<>ur  coinitrv."  He 
thought  not  of  physical  pain,  but,  amid  the  carnage 


iiiei 

an 

di?( 

rtyii 

('hi 

ol 

fan 
the 
he 


|>i-ai 
Hro 
whe 


grea 


LIKf'T.-COLONKI.    VAAl.V/AAl    I>.    Wooll. 


LS;") 


of  battle,  liis  heroic  soul  i;1o\v«m1  witli  lofty  eiitlm- 
siasiii  for  his  comiti'v's  i:;Iory.  His  iiohility  of  nature 
iiii|)resse(l  every  one.  Says  the  IJev.  Dr.  Doui^lass, 
speakiiin'  of  his  father's  lectuivs  on  the  ('ani|taiirii " 
of  1SI4:  "His  mention  of  ('ol«»nel  Wood  was 
luaiked  with  un(lis<i;uise(l  waiintli  an<l  affectionate 
feeliui:;.      It  seiMued  impossible  for  liiin  to  look  ))ack 


to  th 


le  >'oun<j:;  davs  or  an  ardent  ajid   i^enerous  jimln- 


1 


di 


tion,  wi 


thout 


►f 


I  paui;'  or  soi'i'ow,  at    rne  reeo 


t    th 


)llect 


ion 


of  the  hiufh-minded  and  chivalious  man,  wlio  was 
liisfrien<l  and  l)rother-in-arms  ;  his  compainon,  amidst 
scenes  of  the  most  soul-stii'riuLT  interest  ;  liis  tutor  in 
militaiy  science  ;  his  Mentor  in  the  [>erple.\ities  of  an 
early  and  impoi'tant  res|)onsil)ility ;  Ids  iruide  and 
exainjde,  in  all  that  was  hi<^h,  no))h'  and  <lisinter- 
ested,  in  tlu^  walk  and  j)rofession  of  a  s«>]<lier." 

It  was  Wood's  [)ecuHai'  i^ood  foi'tune  to  be  j>rom- 
inent  in  every  brancli  of  Ins  jirofession  ;  wliether  as 
an  eni^ineer,  making;  the  dariui^  reconnoissance,  oi* 
directinij  defenses;  as  an  artillerist,  pursnini;  tlie 
flyini:;  fo(i  to  the  Thames,  or  sej'vini;  in  tlie  l>atterv  at 
Chipi)ewa;  us  a  Paladin  cavalier,  in  the  final  rout 
of  Proctor's  Inst  fugitives;  oi  the  accomplished  in- 
fantry connnander  leading;  the  colnnm  ami  char<jfini; 
the  besieu^ei's  at  Fort  Krie.  While  Hrst  in  battle, 
he  was  also  first  in  the  estimation  of  those  lie  so 
faithfully  served.  Harrison  assiirns  to  him  "the 
first  [)alm  of  merit"  at  Foit  Mei^^s,  ami  hiu^hly 
|)raises  his  eftieiency  in  the  invasion  of  (*anada  ; 
Hrown  reports  his  marked  distinction  at  Xiairara, 
where  his"hiuh  military  talents  were  exei'ted  with 
ii'ieat  effect,"  and   to  wdiose  "asai.stance  a  jrreat  deal 


■  ri 


III 


.•i!|. 


Iffilij 


186 


WESTERN    (iAMPAIGNS    OK    1813. 


11  . 


is  fairly  to  be  nsci'ibed  "  ;  Gaines  says,  "  in  the  com- 
maiul  of  a  regiment  of  infantry  lie  lias  often  proved 
liiniself  well  (jiialiried,  but  never  so  cons])ioiiously 
as  in  tlie  repulse  of  the  British  assault  on  Fort  Erie''; 
Ri[)ley,  on  the  same  occasion,  acknowledji;es  his  in- 
debtedness to  ''this  officer's  merits,  so  wtII  known 
that  ap])rol)ation  can  scarcely  add  to  his  reputation"; 
Porter,  under  whom  he  led  a  column  in  the  sortie 
from  Fort  Erie,  reports  to  Brown,  "yni  know  how 
exalted  an  o])inioii  I  have  always  entertained  of 
him"  ;  and  his  Command  in<»;  General,  when  this  pillar 
of  his  power  lay  prostrate  in  death,  pronounced  this 
truthful  eulo_2;y  to  his  worth  :  "Wood,  ])rave,  gener- 
ous and  enterprising,  died  as  he  had  lived,  Avithout  a 
feeliiiii:  but  for  the  honor  of  his  country  and  the 
glory  of  her  arms.  His  name  and  exam])le  will  live 
to  guide  the  soldier  in  the  path  of  duty  so  long  as 
true  heroism  is  held  in  estimation." 

All  authority  warrants  us  in  saying  that,  during 
the  whole  o])erations  on  the  Niagara,  no  terms  of 
praise  could  do  justice  to  Wood's  gallantry,  zeal, 
skill  and  perseverance,  whether  in  reconnoitring  the 
enemy,  ascertaining  and  rej»orting  his  j)osition,  en- 
couraging the  troo])s,  conducting  columns  to  their 
destination,  ])lainiing  judicious  movements,  pi'oviding 
against  emergencies,  devising  defenses,  seeing  the 
key-])oint  of  the  battle-field,  or  gras[)ing  the  whole 
problem  of  the  campaign. 

After  the  termination  of  the  war,  8e])t.  12,  181  <>, 
Major-(ieneral  Jacob  Brown,  then  (ienei'al-in-Chief, 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  Brigadier-Creneral 
Joseph  G.  Swift,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Army. 


Ill' 


WV' 


LTKIIT.-COLOXEL    ELEAZER    D.    WOOD. 


137 


"  I  tliiiik  it  [)i'oper  to  express  to  you,  as  Cliief  of 
the  Corps  <>f  En^iiieei-s,  tlie  liigli  sense  I  entertain 
of  the  services  of  Coh)nel  McRee,  Lieutenant-Coh)nel 
Wood,  (\a]itain  Doiiij^lass  luu]  Lieutenant  Story,  who 
served  with  my  division  upon  tlie  Niagara  in  1814. 
They  \vere  all  greatly  distinguished,  Init  Colonel 
MeKee  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wood  have  ])articu- 
lar  claims  uj)on  me  for  the  cheeifulness  and  ardor 
with  wdiich  they  entered  upon  the  execution  of  every 
enterprise,  luiving  in  view  the  honor  of  my  com- 
mand, and  for  the  zeal  and  talent  they  uniformly 
dis])layed. 

"  Lieutenant-C\)lonel  Wood  fell!  The  occasion 
and  the  manner  of  his  death  secure  to  him  the 
patriot  soldier's  best  reward — ])ure  and  imperishable 
fame.  To  this  I  can  add  nothing;  but,  as  a  tribute 
of  my  respect  foi'  the  hero  and  the  man,  I  request 
you  to  cause  a  moiuinient  to  be  erected,  at  my  ex- 
j)ense,  to  his  memoi-y.  Let  it  stand  near  the  Mili- 
tary Academy,  at  West  Point,  and,  tliough  it  cannot 
elevate  his  name,  it  may  stinudate  the  soldiers  of  his 
school  to  die,  like  liini,  without  a  feeling  but  for  the 
honor  of  their  countrv  and  the  u'lorv  of  hei'  arms." 

In  compliance  w^ith  this  re(piest,  so  honoralde  to 
(xeneral  Brown,  the  C*hief  Engineer  had  executed 
the  white  marble  obelisk  now  gracing  the  little 
knoll,  north  of  the  West  Point  Plain,  looking  up 
the  Hudson  upon  the  most  beautiful  river  view  in 
the  world.  Lr])on  the  occasiim  of  the  erection  of 
this  monument,  (xeneral  Swift,  August  17,  1818, 
directs  Major  Thayer,  Superintendent  of  the  Mili- 
tary Academy,  to  conduct  the   ceremony   with  all 


t.-ii 


r' 


i  = 


188 


WKSTEUN    CAMPAKINS    OF    IRl.J. 


due  iiiilitarv  honors,  and  to  issue  nn  a|)proi)]'iate 
or<l(M-  to  lils  coiiimaiid,  "to  j)ortray  tlie  cliaracter  of 
oiii'  dt'ccased  l)rotluM'  oftictM'.'' 

Tliis  siiii|)l«'  nionuiiient  )>ears  tlie  followiuii;  in- 
sciiptioiis :  Xo.fli  Si<I(' — "To  the  Memory  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Vj.  I).  Wood,  of  the  ('Orps  of  Enu;i- 
iieers,  who  fell  while  leading  a  eharge  at  the  Soi'tie 
of  Fort  Ej'ie,  L'[)j)er  Canada,  17th  Sejtteniher,  1S14, 
in  the  81st  year  of  his  age."  H^W  Si(h :  "He  was 
exemplary  as  a  Christian,  and  distinguished  as  a 
Soldier."  Sotrf/f  Sl<7(^ :  "A  Pupil  of  this  Institution, 
lie  died  an  honour  to  his  coiuitry."  I'jd^f  Side  :  "  TJiis 
Memorial  was  erected  by  his  friend  and  commander — 
Major-General  Jacob  Brown." 

After  this  monument  to  C\»lonel  Wood  was 
erected,  the  following  lines  were  composed  by  the 
late  General  I.  Moiton: 

"  Wliat  thonji;]!  on  foenian's  land  lie  fell, 
No  stone  tlie  sacred  spot  to  tell, 
Yet  where  tlie  noble  Hudson's  waves, 
Its  shores  of  lofty  fi;ranite  laves, 
The  loved  associates  of  his  youth, 
Who  knew  his  worth — his  spotless  truth. 
Have  bade  the  niariile  column  rise, 
To  bid  the  world  that  youth  to  prize  ; 
T(j  teach  the  youth  lii^e  him  t'  aspire, 
And  never-fading  fame  ac<iuiro  ; 
Like  iiim  on  (Jlory's  wings  to  rise, 
To  reach,  to  pierce  the  azure  skies, 
And  oft  the  Patriot  then  shall  sigh. 
And  sorrow  oft  cloud  Beauty's  eye, 
When'er  foml  ineinory  brings  again 
The  Youth  who  sleeps  on  Erie's  plain." 


•>f!Il. 


m 


wi 


li 

w 
() 

t] 


C( 


A 


CHAPTER  FOURTH. 

EASTERN  CAMPAIGNS  OF  1813  ; 

WITH    A     mOGRAPHIOAL    SKETCH     OP 

BRIG.-GENERAL  JOSEPH  G.  SWIFT. 

In  tlie  Second  projected  Invasion  of  Canada, 
Quebec  was  deemed  too  strong'  to  1)e  assailed  with 
success;  and  Montreal,  Avliose  loss  would  involve 
tliat  of  Upj)er  Canada,  ])roniised  an  easier  conquest. 
For  this  ultimate  i)urpose  as  stated  in  the  previous 
chapter,  three  columns  were  i)ut  in  motion  in  1818; 
one  desiii;ned  to  penetrate  the  enemy's  territory  by 
the  Detroit  Straits ;  another  somewhere  on  the  On- 
tario border;  and  the  third  by  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Champlain.  This  was  repeatinir,  essentially,  the 
plan  which  had  resulted  in  the  miserable  failure  of 
1812.  We  have  already  ij^iven  the  operations  of  the 
Northwestern  Armv,  or  Left  Column,  terminatiniii;  in 
Harrison's  victory  of  the  Thames.  In  this  chapter 
we  will  sketch  the  chief  movements  of  the  Armies 
of  the  Centre  and  Right,  the  former  o])eratin<i"  on 
the  Ontario  frontier,  and  the  later  movinjj:  from  Lake 
Champlain. 

General  Dearliorn,  in  command  of  all  the  forces 
destined  to  take  part  in  the  Eastern  Campaii2:n  of  1813, 
was  directed  by  the  War  Department  to  reduce 
Kingston  and  York  (now  Toronto)  on  Lake  Ontario 
and  Forts  George  and  Erie  on  the  Niaojara.  The 
Commanding   General,  however,  for  reasons  totally 

141 


SI 


■..   '  n 


I 


142 


KASTKU?'.    CAMI'AKJNS    OT    IM!!. 


insufficient,  dccidtMl  to  leservr    tlic  uttack 


(>i 


Kill!::- 


ston  for  tlie  ^^s7,  tliouuli    it    was  the   p'/sf   in    iiiipor- 
taiice,   beiiiiz:  the   naval    I'imhIczvous  the    IJritisli 

<  >ntai'io  fleet,  and   the  liead-cjiiai'tei-s     i   the   Knulisli 
hmd  fVuves. 

Ill  |)rosirnti(»n  of  tliis  inverted  plan  of  eanipaiiz'n, 
l)ear])orn,  witli  1,700  men  crowded  on  Chauncey's 
fleet,  sai U'd  from  Saekett's  llarhor,  A|)rii  !>.'),  Is];',, 
an<l,  after  a  IxM.^terons  passau'e  ot*  two  (hiys,  arrixed 
off  ^'ork,  W'liieh  was  feel)ly  jn'oteeted  l»y  a  few 
l)h»ek-hoiises  and  eartlien  ])attei'ies  <;an*lsone(l  with 
al»oiit    .S0(>  i-eij:ulars,    militia  and  Indians.     (Jeneral 


Dej 


irhorn,    l)eini;'    m    ill-nealtii,    remained    on    siiij* 


1th 


di 


Ixmrd,  w  hile  our  troops,  led  hy  (n*''       1  Pike,  landed 


under  a    brisk   tire,  foun'ht   their 


tiu-ounh  tiie 


thick  woods,  carried  tlie  fiist  l)uttery,  took  ])ossession 
of  tlie  "  llalf-moon,''  and  were  ])reparini<'  to  assault 


th 


le   mam    uitrenchnients   when  the   u'reat    mauazim 


]d( 


d 


ew    up   with   a    tremeiKloiis    e\j>|osion,   scattering- 


i-uiu    on   every   su 


le,    k 


killiui'"  and   maimiiiLi"  over  two 


humlivd  of  our  men  and  many  of  their  own,  and 
mortally  woiindinu;  the  intrepid  Pike  who  died  soon 
aftei-  like  a  true  hero,  'riiou;-h  we  ha<l  captured 
tlie  ]>lace  and  a  larii'e  amount  of  stores,  (Jeneral 
Slieaffe,  the  British  commander,  with  liis  reu'ulars 
was  allowed  to  escape,  and  a  vessel  on  the  stocks  to 
be  destroyed. 

The  first  object  of  the  expedition  beinu"  accom- 
])lished,  the  troo) )s  were  immed lately  re-end)arked,  1  )ut, 
on  account  of  adverse  winds,  did  not  leave  York  liar- 
bortill  May<Sth,and  not  until  the  27th  was  the  attack 
ui)on  Foi't  George  essayed.     An  entire  month  of  the 


ea 

Fi 

M" 

fol 

aiH 

of 

tli< 

S(| 

v< 

mi. 
a  fl 


HI{Ui.-(ii:M;KAI-   .losKlMI    (i.    SUIIT. 


un 


licst 


(•.•mipMiuiiiiiii'  sea.son  was 


lost 


111  luiiiuiiiii-  r«MMi- 


t'orceiiKMits  from  Sju-kett's  Ifarlxn',  and  iiM»tlit*r  tlila- 
torv  iH'Ofeeiliiiii-s.  Deaihoru'saiiiiv,  iimulHM-iniriu'arlv 
(5, (MM)  was  ivadv  for  tlie  fi'av  on  tlu*  UKU-ninsj:  <>f  tlie 
'iTtli,  l)ut  tile  ('oiiiiiiaii(liiin(n'ii(Mal  iviiiaiiKMl  on  shi])- 


hoard   as   at    York,      ruder 


cover  <» 


r  ti 


le    u'liiis    o 


(Miauiu'ey's  fleet,  our  uallaiit  soldiers  rea<died  tlie 
shore,  with  intrepidity  clanihered  up  the  steej*  l)aiik 
exposed  to  the  enemy's  lire,  an<l  in  twenty  minutes 
of  se\-ei'e  iiiihtiiin'  j)ut  the  foe  to  tliiiht.  (xenei-al 
\'incent,  the  Biitisli  commander,  satisfied  that  after 
our  success  he  could  no  loiiy-cr  hold  Fort  (ieorge, 
onh^'ed  its  <;'Uiis  to  be  spiked,  the  work  to  l>e  aban- 
<loned,  and  the  garrison  to  ilee  to  Heavei'  Dams,  a 
strong'  ]»ositiou  amoni>"  the  hills.  Colonel  \\  infield 
Scott,  in  rapid  ])ursuit  of  the  enemy,  learniniLC  I'i-** 
<lesigns,  detached  two  coiii[)anies  who  saved  the  foii: 
after  one  of  its  three  mauazines  had  been  blown  \i\\ 
Scott  viii'orously  pursued,  and  could  easily  have 
ca[)tured  Vincent,  but  was  reluctantly  compelled 
by  re])eated  orders  to  give  U])  the  chase,  return  to 
Fort  (ieorge,  an<l  abandon  the  almost  attained  cou- 
(|Uest  of  the  Niagai'a  Peninsula. 


Two  davs  aftei'  these  events,  while  most  (»f 


our 


forces  were  afai'  <»ff  at  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario, 
and  Sackett's  Harbor  at  its  foot  was  nearly  strij)pe(l 
of  its  garrison,  Governor-General  Provost,  with  a 
thousand  men  from  Xingstoii  assisted  by  the  British 
s(|uadron,  decided  to  retaliate  for  oui-  attacks  on 
York  and  Fort  George  ])y  ca})turing  our  naval  and 
military  stoies  at  Sackett's  lIar])or,  and  bv  tlestroviuij: 
a  tine  sliip  {the  General  Pike)  tliere  on  the  stocks. 


III. 


144 


EASTERN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


vm  \ 


FortiiiiJitely,  a  few  reguhirs,  under  the  hold  Colonel 
Backus,  had  been  left  to  guard  this  property,  and 
the  ifallant  General  Jacob  Brown  ^^•as  at  hand  to 
assume  command.  Though  the  militia  iled  U])on  tlie 
enemy''s  ap[)roach,  Brown  tlnvarted  his  design,  com- 
pelled liis  precipitate  retreat,  and  gained  ,.  complete 
victory — the  last  success  of  our  inglorious  campaign 
of  1818.  Unfortunately  in  the  confusion  of  the 
attack,  throuixh  some  misunderstandiiii'"  of  aifairs, 
the  naval  otKcer,  in  charge  of  ihe  stores  and  ship  on 
the  stocks,  set  them  on  tire. 

After  the  ca[)ture  of  Fort  George,  General  Dear- 
born, when  too  late,  ordered  ihe  })ursuit  of  Vincent, 
who,  in  tlie  meantime,  having  (h'a^^  n  in  all  his  scat- 
tered forces,  posted  himself,  <^n  the  LM)th  of  May,  at 
Burlington  Heights,  a  j)osition  vital  to  the  safety  of 
the  Britisli,  without  which  they  could  neither  retain 
the  Peninsula,  nor  make  a  safe  exit  from  it.  On  the 
1st  of  June,  («eiieral  Winder  was  sent  to  dislodge 
the  enemy  with  a  small  brigade,  which  was  iiiade- 
<juate  t(»  the  task.  I 'j)oii  asking  for  re-enforcements, 
General  Ghandler,  on  the  oth,  brought  u[)  an(»ther 
brigade,  giving  a  total  force  of  1,.S00.  Instea<l  (»f 
|)rom]»tly  marching  to  attack  Vincent,  only  a  few 
miles  off.  Chandler,  the  senior  geneivd,  halted  at 
Stony  Creek  and  carelessly  encampt-d  for  the  night, 
which  Vincent  discovered  Iw  a  bold  rec(>nnoissance 
in  the  evening.  Knowing  that  not  a  moment  was 
to  be  lost,  if  with  his  inferior  forces  he  was  to  main- 
tain his  position,  he  wisely  decided  to  attack  at  once 
rather  than  be  attacked  the  next  day  with  every 
chance  of  discomtiture.     Having  decided  to  surprise 


P 


BRKi.-GENERAL    JOSEPH    G.    SWII'T. 


145 


Cliaiidler,  the  Britisli  cohniin  of  TOO,  silently  inov- 
inar  at  midnioi-lit,  seized  everv  man  of  the  American 
picket,  and  made  two  false  attacks,  while  the  real  one 
on  our  centre  was  eminently  successful  in  capturing- 
some  artillery  and  a  hundred  prisoners,  including 
both  of  the  American  generals.  Vincent,  the  British 
commander,  in  the  confusion  of  the  night-attack,  lost 
his  way  ;  Itut  fortunately  for  the  enemy,  he  was  suc- 
ceeded bv  the  able  Lieut.-Colonel  liarv^ev  (su])se- 
(juently  (xovernoi"  of  New  Bi'unswick),  while  our 
forces  fell  under  the  conn  land  of  Colonel  Burns,  a 
brave  but  inexperienced  officer,  who  at  once  called  a 
council  of  war,  which  of  course  did  not  advise  fight- 
ing, prefei'i'ing  to  fall  back  before  half  their  niunbers 
and  await  furtlier  orders.  Had  a  resolute  and  ener- 
getic officer  then  have  directed  oui'  f(n'ces,  Vincent 
would  have  been  ])ut  to  flight  or  captured,  the 
Peninsula  been  ours,  our  march  on  Kingston  l)een 
unim[)eded,  and  the  after  disasters  on  the  St.  Lawivnce 
been  avoided. 

Another  fortnight  of  inaction  followed,  dui'ing 
which  General  Vincent  and  Colonel  Bisho])])  were 
indefatigable  in  strongly  occupying  the  mountain 
losses  from  Queenstown  to  York.  At  last,  ihe  tinal 
mishap  of  our  campaign  that  sunnner  on  the  Penin- 
sula occui-red.  Colonel  Hoestler,  with  <iOn  men, 
was  sent  to  Beaver  Dams  to  attack  a  fortified  store- 
house where  considerable  supplies  were  stored.  The 
detachment,  June  24th,  fell  into  an  Indian  ambus- 
cade, and,  after  a  three  hours'  contest,  when  about 
to  retire,  were  deluded  by  a  small  British  force  of 
regulars,  by  threats  of  savage  slaughter,  into  a  ca])it- 


146 


EASTEItX    CAMPAIGNS    OF    181:5. 


ul.'itioii.  Except  some  mids  nloiii;'  tlie  Niau'ara, 
destroying  iiuicli  pi'o]»ert\,  iiotliiiiii'  more  was  done 
in  tliis  (juai'tei'  during  this  campaign.  The  l^ritisli 
now  ])oldly  ndvanced  U])on  (^)neensto\vn,  hehl  Hui*- 
lini!;toii  Heiijchts,  and  invested  Fort  (ieoro'e  witli  for- 
mi<L'il)le  forces. 

Dearborn,  discj^ualified  l)y  age  and  ill-liealth  foi' 
active  command,  was  superseded  on  the  ()th  of  .June, 
and  took  leave  of  tlie  army  July  15th,  (icnei'al 
Hoyd  temporarily  succeeding  to  tlie  command  till  the 
arrival  of  (-'eneral  Wilkinson.  The  latter,  with  the 
l)ulk  of  our  forces  did  not  leave  Fort  (ieorge,  till 
( )cto])er  iid,  until  which  tiim  our  army  was  coo]»ed  u]) 
ill  that  work  under  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  \Vt\v 
to  hold  the  eneniv  at  l>av.  Thu^,  from  May  to  Octo- 
her,  while  the  enemy  was  most  active,  we,  during 
these  four  most  favorable  months  foi  cani])aigning, 
did  nothing. 

(xenei'al  James  Wilkinson,  who  succeeded  Deai'- 
born  in  the  command  of  the  Northern  Arm\,  had 
lieeii  an  active  oihcer  of  the  Revolution,  [)articulai'ly 
on  the  stalf  of  Gates  wlien  BiU'goyne  suri'endered  at 
Saratoga.  Now,  too  old  for  his  position,  he  soon 
fell  ill  with  a  fevei',  divaded  responsibility,  and  was 
weighed  down  with  nioj'bid  anxiety.  \\  liilc  on  his 
way  to  Sackett's  Harbor,  to  assume  his  new  duties,  he 
had  issued,  August  K),  his  tii-st  order  to  (reneral 
\V  ade  Hampton,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  forces  on  Lake  C'ham]>lain.  Hamj)ton 
Inid  also  been  an  otliccr  of  the  llevolution,  as  a  [>ar- 
tisan  ranger  in  South  C'a  -olina,  in  connection  with 
Marion.     This  order  of   Wilkinson's  aroused  tlie  ire 


BUIG.-GENKIJAI.    .lOSKPII    (J,    SWirP. 


147 


of  tli«^  old  sljive-lioldinii'  aristocrat,  and  intensified 
his  former  liatred  of  tlie  new  General-in-Chief,  lie 
innnediatelv  wrote  to  <"he  Secretarv  of  War  tliat  liis 
was  a  se|)arate  eoniniand.  Armstrong  tried  to  ree«»n- 
eile  him  to  a  distinction  between  separate  an«]  inde- 
pendent eommand  ;  but  the  implacable  enmity  wliieh 
liad  been  enu'endered  continued  to  rankle,  and,  as 
the  secjuel  \\I11  show,  defeated  the  success  of  the 
eamjtaiu'u. 

After  nearly  half  a  year's  fruitless  effort  to  make 
a  permanent  lodiiiuent  on  the  Ontario  sIkuv.  the 
Secretary  of  W'ai's  original  j)r()ject  of  eam[»aiun  was 
again  revived.  'J\>  this  \\  ilkinson  oljjected,  while 
Armstrong  insisted  ;  the  former  in  tlie  mean  time, 
without  any  detinite  plan  of  operations  to  be  pursued, 
having  departed  for  Sackett's  Ilarboi-.  lie  liad  a 
nominal  army  of  about  12,000  men,  one  third  at  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  under  Hampton;  another  third  at  Sac-k- 
ett's  Harbor,  and  the  remaining  third  at  Fort  (leorge. 
At  a  council  of  otiicers  it  Avasres<dved  to  aband<»n  and 
destroy  Fort  (leorge,  and  ti-ansfer  the  troops  to  Saek- 
ett's  Harbor ;  but  the  W'ai-  I)ej)artment  <U'dere<l  <)0n 
i-egulars  to  continue  to  garrison  that  work,  the  re- 
mainder of  thetroops  there,  as  we  have  bef<>re  state*], 
having  end)arke(l  on  the  fleet.  Most  of  the  ivgu- 
lars,  left  in  gai'rison  under  Colonel  Scott,  soon  after 
joined  Wilkinson's  St.  Lawrence  Expedition,  their 
])laces  being  su])[)lied  by  militia,  under  General 
McClure,  who  subsequently  abandoned  the  work, 
an<l  burned  Xewark,  Avhich  outrage  was  sununarilv 
avenged  by  tlu^  destruction  of  six  villages,  manv 
isolated  ciuiutry   houses,  and  five  vessels,   an<l   the 


148 


EASTERN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


l)iitclieriiig  of  innocent  persons  at  Fort  Niagara, 
LeAviston,  Sclilosser,  Tuscarora  \"illage,  Black  Hock 
and  Buffalo. 

General  Wilkinson  assumed  coniniand,  at  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor,  August  29,  1813,  having  for  his  Chief 
Engineer  Colonel  Joseph  G.  Swift,  the  Chief  Engi- 
neer of  the  United  States  Army.  Soon  after,  the 
Secretary  of  War  arrived  tit  that  post,  ostensibly  to 
promote  harmony  between  Wilkinson  and  Hampton, 
but  more  probal)ly  to  assume  the  functions  of  Gen- 
eral-in-Chief. He  was  a  headstrono;,  ambitious  man 
of  Irish  descent,  his  father  having  emigrated  to 
Pennsvlvania  about  IT-tO,  where  he  became  a  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel  in  the  old  French  -war,  a  Brigadier- 
General  in  the  Continental  Army,  and  a  Major-Gen- 
eral,  commanding  the  Pennsylvania  State  troops  in 
the  defense  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Battles  of 
Brandywine  and  Germantown.  Ft  is  said  that  the 
son,  then  Secretai'v  of  War,  wanted  to  play  a  more 
distinguished  role  than  the  father,  and  as])ire(l  to  be 
a  Lieutenant-General  to  conmiand  all  the  Armies  of 
the  United  States,  but  that  he  Avas  not  a  favorite 
with  Presi<lent  Madison;  consefpiently,  had  that 
office  been  created  by  Congress,  (\)lonel  James 
Monroe,  then  Secretary  of  State,  would  have  been 
apjx  tinted. 

AVhile  Wilkinson  and  Armstrong  at  Sackett's 
Harbor  were  confronting  the  enemy  at  Kingston  and 
discussing  plans  for  its  attack,  Hampton,  with  4,(M)0 
infantry,  a  squadron  of  horse,  and  a  well-a|)pointed 
train  of  artillery  under  Major  McRce,  of  the  Engi- 
neers, set  out    towards  Montreal  foi'  the  [)urpose  of 


Hesi 

()ct( 

come 

sepai 

flueii 

reiiL'i 

the 

Ii 
miles 
wlieiv 
In  th 
had  i 
hlock- 
witli  .' 


11?  II 


I{RI(i.-(;ENEKAL    .FOSKIMI    (i.    ^^^VI^T. 


149 


l»0 


denionstriitioii  or  attack,  as  ciiviiinstanees  miLdit  ren- 
der most  expedient. 

Leaviiio;  Clarke's  ln'iu'ade  of  Vermont  militia  to 
draw  I*rovost's  attention  to  an  attack  bv  the  Sorel, 
Hampton,  on  tlie  ll>tli  of  Septend>er,  beiran  liis  march 
from  ('ui]il)ei'land  Head,  opposite  Plattslmrir,  direct 
on  Odell-Towii  (just  within  the  Canadian  border), 
which  he  reached  on  the  21st;  but  a  pre  vail  ini;  drought 
caused  liis  retrograde  movement  to  Chazy,  and  the 
adoption  of  the  Chateangay  ronte  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 
At  the  "  Foui'-Conieis,"  now  the  village  of  Chateau- 
gay,  he  encam])ed  foi'  twenty-six  <hiys  awaiting  orders. 

During  this  month  of  delay,  Hampton,  having 
satisfied  himsflf  that  Provost's  scattered  forces  were 
less  than  half  his  own  in  nund)ers,  determined  to 
[)ress  forward,  crusli  all  o])[)osing  troops,  make  him- 
self master  of  Montreal,  and  without  Wilkinson's 
assistance,  become  the  laureled  hero  of  the  campaign. 
Resuming,  therefore,  his  march  on  the  21st  of 
( )ctober,  on  the  evening  of  the  next  «lay  he  had  over- 
come twentv-four  of  the  fortv  miles  which  had 
separated  him  from  his  goal.  Here,  near  the  con- 
fluence of  Outard  Ci'eek  and  Chateau^av  River,  he 
remained  till  the  stoi'es  and  artillery  came  u])  on 
the  24th. 

Immediately  in  tVont  of  Ham]>ton  were  seven 
miles  of  open  country  along  the  river  to  Johnson's, 
where  an  extensive  and  dense  forest  lay  in  the  way. 
In  this  Colonel  I)e  Salaberry,  with  a  thousand  men, 
had  intrenched  himself  behind  a  log  breast- work  and 
block-house,  protected  bv  a  sti-ouif  abatis  and  covered 
with  a  i)icket  line  of  Indians  and  a  light  corps  of 


1  50 


EASTERX    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1S13. 


Canada  militia.     On  tlic  2.")t]i  Traiiii)t()ii  tlioiiu'lit  to 
iiTasp  Lis  coveted  laurels;  hut 

"  The  best  Iiiul  sclioiiies  o'  mice  and  men 
Gang  afl  ii-gioy  ; 
And  leave  us  naught  l)ut  grief  and  pain 
For  promised  joy." 

llauiptou  (lis])atelied  Colonel  Purdy  and  the  liulit 
troops  of  Boyd's  l)rii:;ade  to  force  the  ford  ei<i:ht  miles 
below,  turn  the  enemy's  left,  and  gain  the  British 
rear  by  dawn  of  the  2()th,  while  (leneral  Fzard  with 
the  main  body  was  to  assail  the  front  as  soon  as 
Purdy's  tire  sliould  open.  But  the  ignorant  guides 
h)st  their  way  in  the  thick  hendock  swam])  during 
the  darkness,  so  that  it  was  not  till  t^\()  in  the  after- 
noon that  the  crack  of  Purdy's  ritles  was  hear<l  and 
then  in  a  wrong  direction,  he  ha\ing  fallen  into  an 
ambuscade,  whereupon  his  dist-oncerted  detachment 
^i'd  on  the  tirst  tire;  the  enemy,  (Mpially  discreet  and 
coui'ageous,  doing  the  same,  fn  the  meantime,  I/ardV 
column  drove  in  two  [)ickets  and  '^vas  soon  engaged 
with  I)e  Salabei-ry,  the  British  commandei-,  who  ])er- 
cci\ing  that  he  was  gi-eatly  outnumhei'ed,  resorted  to 
a  ruse  worthy  of  the  days  of  Jericho.  I*osting 
huglei's  along  his  thin  but  covei'cd  line,  these  windy 
warriors,  when  some  concealed  militia  opened  tire 
U])on  IlamittoiTs  tlank,  blew  loud  and  rej)eated 
signals  for  the  charge,  which  so  alarmed  the  (ireneral 
and  so  thorouii'hlv  convinced  him  of  the  thousands 
of  rogues  in  l)uckrain  before  hiiu,  that,  aftei-  a  long 
liour's  fight  by  Shi'ewsbury  clock,  an  immediate  I'e- 
tre.at  was  ordered  and  promjitly  ol)eyed.  Thus  ended 
the  valiant  advance  of  this  coiKpiering  army,  to  ])re- 


and 
1  ():5( 
S\\  i 

inoii 

our 

tc  rS 

"  Cu 

ot'th 

was 

li«'r  s( 

was  1 

COlllj) 


BTJIO.-OEXKRAL    JOSEPH    O.    SWIIT. 


151 


serve  ^vlli(•ll  a  solcinii  coiiiu'il  of  wur  deemed  it 
pi'()[)er  to  seek  a  |)lace  of  safety,  and  soon  after  go 
into  winter  ([Uartei-s. 

Before  giving  i  lie  nio\enients  of  Wilkinson's  army 
fi'om  Sackett's  Harbor,  we  must  introduce  liis  (Hiief 
I'vUii'lneer  in  this  eaini)aii»:n. 

JosKi'M  (tahdnkh  Swiit  was  the  First  (xraduate 
of  the  Military  Academy,  at  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  and 
succeeded  Colonel  Jonathan  Williams,  July  31, 181:2, 
as  (/liief  Engineei-  of  the  V.  S.  Army. 

Ilis  ancestors  on  his  father's  side  were  English 
husbandmen,  wlio  migrated  to  Sijuantum,  in  ^Lassa- 
chusetts  Bay,  soon  after  the  tirst  Colony  landed  at 
Plymouth  ;  and  on  his  mother's  side  were  Huguenots 
fi'om  Leyden,  in  Holland,  who  also  landed  in  Boston 
Bay.  Among  their  descendants  weiv  a  ( 'hief  Justice 
of  Connecticut,  a  Senator fnmi  Vermont,  a  Governor  of 
New  York,  and  several  Kevolutionarv  ofHcers  of  note. 

He  was  dii'ectly  descended  from  Thomas  Swift 
and  Ho|)estill  Foster,  who  were  tlie  tirst  settlers,  in 
1().'50,  of  Dorcliester,  Mass.  His  grandfatlier,  Samuel 
Swift,  a  graduate  of  (\-iinbri(lge,  in  173,"),  was  a  law- 
yei' of  Boston  (nuMitioned  in  the  elder  Adams'  me- 
moirs), who  fell  in  ITTT),  one  of  the  tirst  martyrs  in 
our  sti'uggle  for  inde[)endence.  His  father.  Dr.  F\)s- 
ter  Swift,  in  178'2,  was  a  [)risoner  on  board  the  frigate 
"  CuUoden,"  of  Ilodnev's  fleet,  and  died  a  Suro-eon 
<>f  the  U.  S.  Army,  .Vugust  In,  ls;U").  His  niotlier 
was  Deborah  Delano,  of  Nantucket,  ]\[ass.,  wliere 
liei-  son  was  born  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  1783,  and 
was  named  after  Dr.  Jose])h  (Tardner,  of  Boston,  in 
compliment  to  his  father's  old  school-teacher. 


r'  f 


H 


».  ii 


ir)2 


EASTERIsr    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


Young  Swift  grew  uj)  aiiioiiii'  the  pi-iiiiitive  j)eo- 
ple  of  his  native  isle,  noted  for  their  coiifidiiiu;  iiiti- 
mncy,  simple  hospitality,  and  those  domestic  virtues 
wliich  cluiracterized  his  after  life.  At  the  age  of 
six  he  saw  the  "Hero" — Washington — on  Boston 
CVmimon,  which  made  an  indelible  impression  upon 
the  ])recocious  hoy,  and,  [)()ssil)ly,  planted  the  genu 
from  wliich  grew  the  after  soldier. 

In  1792  his  father  removed  to  Taunton,  Mass., 
which  became  the  future  home  of  the  family.  Here 
young  8wift,  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Rev.  Sanuiel 
Daggett,  acquired  an  academical  education  fitting 
him  to  enter  Harvard  College. 

From  his  father^s  diary  he  liad  read,  and  from 
an  iii':imate  friend  of  the  family — -Genei'al  David 
Cobb,  Aid-de-Camp  to  Washington — he  had  heard 
vivid  descriptions  of  scenes  of  the  AVar  of  Indej>en- 
dence,  and  of  Shay's  Insurrection,  which  strongly 
excited  him.  These  were  intensified  by  the  stirring 
events  of  the  French  Revolution  then  transj)iring, 
and  though  a  boy  but  ten  years  old,  he,  having  a 
remarkable  musical  talent,  used  to  sing  translated 
French  songs  at  the  civic  feasts,  given  in  179^^,  on 
Taunton  Green,  in  honor  of  French  li])erty.  His 
military  enthusiam  was  i-ekiiidle<l  in  17'.>t>,  when  the 
Fourteenth  Regiment  of  Knifed  States  Infantry  en- 
camped on  the  banks  of  the  Taunton  River. 

Hy  the  advice  and  with  the  assistance  of  Genei'al 
Cobb,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  young  Swift  was 
appointed  by  President  John  Adams,  May  12,  1800, 
a  Cadet  of  Artillerists  and  Engineers.  On  the  12th 
of  June  following  he  reported  for  duty,  in  NeAvpoi't 


P 


inte 
of  th 
))een 
I 
then 
little 
the 


BKn4.-aENEKAL    JOSKl'H    (i.    SWIFT. 


153 


llni'bor,  R.  I.,  to  the  veteniii  Lieiiteiiniit-Coloiicl 
Lewis  Tons.'ii'd,  wlio  liad  l)eeii  a  Captain  in  the  Con- 
tinental Ai'niv,  and  in  177<S  had  h)st  an  arm  in  tlie 
eniC'iij^einent  of  Quaker  Hill.  It  was  Toiisard  who 
built  the  "  Duniplin  Tower/'  on  Connanieut  Island, 
and  sliared  in  the  construction  of  old  Fort  Adams 
at  Hrenton's  Point.  Cadet  Swift  was  attached  to 
Captain  Stothlard's  company,  at  Fort  Walcott,  on 
(xoat  Island,  a  work  rebuilt  in  ITUo  by  Colonel 
Rochefontaiue.  Transferred  from  the  quiet  of  Taun- 
ton to  the  charms  of  active  life,  he  was  ensj^ai^ed  liei-e 
until  October  7,  1801,  upon  the  various  fortitlcations 
about  New])ort,  and  while  at  this,  even  then  fash, 
icmable  watering-  ])lace,  he  formed  the  ac<juaintance 
of  many  distiuLCuished  men  :  the  (libbs,  Champlins, 
Perrys,  Auchmutys,  Alstons,  Hunters,  Malbones, 
etc.  Heiuii;  an  ardent  Federalist,  he,  at  this  time, 
also  took  an  active  j)art  in  the  discussions  of  the 
day,  ])articularly  the  (piestion  <»f  peace  oi-  war  2:row- 
inii'  out  of  our  foreig'u  relations.  Thouu'h  war  with 
(xi-eat  r^ritain  for  a  time  had  l)een  averted  by  Jay's 
treaty  of  1 7*.*4,  hostilities  with  France  actually  ex- 
isted, C^)nnnodore  Truxton  havintr  ca))tured  the 
friii'ate  Insur^-ente,  and  crii)pled  the  Vengeance. 
The  fierceness  and  acrimony  of  party,  by  the  more 
intelligent  class  as  well  as  the  masses,  since  the  days 
of  the  Whigs  and  Tories  of  the  Revolution,  had  not 
been  sur])assed. 

During  the  Summer  of  bSOl,  (leneral  Deai'born, 
then  Secretary  of  War,  had  given  notice  to  our 
little  army  that  President  Jetfei-son  had  ordered 
the    establishment    of   a   Military    School    at  West 


154 


EASTERN    CAMPAIONS    OF    1813. 


Point,  for  the  education  of  cadets,  under  the  law  of 
1794,  and  subse(|uent  acts  of  Tongress  which  author- 
ized the  appDintment  of  [)i'()fessors  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  and  tlu'  purchase  of  api)aratus  and  insti'u- 
ments  necessary  for  tlie  instruction  of  the  artillei'ists 
and  engineers.  To  this  school,  Swift,  as  directed  by 
the  Secretary  of  Wai*,  repaired,  and  i*e})orted  Octobei- 
14,  1801,  having  visited,  on  his  way,  the  battle-^eld  of 
Long  Island,  and  ascended  the  Hudson,  whose  banks 
had  scarcu  ceased  to  echo  the  stirring  events  of  our 
Revolutionary  history.  What  a  contrast  to  the  varied 
scenes  since  enacted  on  the  Plain  of  West  Point  was 
thisstri])ling  boy,  standing  alone,  tlie  solitary  ])ioiieer 
of  thousands  whose  fame  has  filled  the  pages  of 
their  Country's  history  !  The  same  gorgeous  land- 
scajje  then  as  now,  was  lit  n\)  by  a  calm  (Jctobei- 
sunset,  and  the  hills  around  were  as  eloipient  with 
legend  and  story  of  the  })ast;  but  how  little  could 
he  foresee  the  future  glories  of  the  present  renowned 
institution  of  which  he  was  the  tirst  oleve  ! 

George  Baron,  who  was  in  charge  of  this  school, 
was  a  North  of  England  man,  who  had  been  a  fellow 
teachei'  with  Charles  Tlutton  in  the  British  Military 
Academy,  at  AVoolwich.  lie  was  i-ude  in  manner, 
but  was  an  able  instructor,  and  had  l)een  a[)])ointed 
June  6,  1801,  under  the  law  of  171)8,  to  ])e  Profes- 
sor of  Mathematics.  By  him  Cadet  Swift  ^vas 
insti'ucted  in  the  tirst  pi'oblems  of  Iluttcjii's  Mathe- 
matics, ex[)lained  at  the  blackboard,  which  a])[)ears 
to  have  been  thus  early  in  use  at  West  Point.  The 
study  hours  were  fi-om  eiii-ht  to  twelve  in  the  morn- 
ing,  the  afternoon  being  "  variously  occupied  in  some 


Pol 

ing 
ren 
off( 

trim 

selli 

shoo 

gra\- 

ord( 

one 

e.vch 

iiitei'i 

\vJion 


|i 


BRIO.-GENEKAL    ,f()«El*lI    (i.    SWIIT. 


155 


brief    iiiilitaiy   exercises,   l)ut   umcli    iiioiv    in    Ht'ld 

Major  Joiiatliaii  Williams,  lusjtectoi'  of  Fortifi- 
cations, took  command,  Dccemhci'  IT),  ISOl,  of  this 
first  military  school  at  West  Point.  Swift  made 
good  |M'of»;ress  in  liis  studies  under  the  new  superin- 
tendent, who  was  very  kind  to  him,  loaned  him 
books,  and  received  liim  often  at  his  table,  t]ierel>y 
estal)lis]iing  those  cordial  relations  which  formed 
"one  of  tlie  briy'litest  i'emend)rances  of  liis  life." 

In  the  new  Military  Academy,  established  )>y 
tlie  law  of  ^birch  K),  l!S02,  Swift  made  excellent 
progress;  was  transferred  July  '28,  1802,  to  be  a 
Cadet  of  Knuineern ;  and  was  considered  by  Colonel 
Williams  "the  foremost  Cadet  on  the  score  of  genius 
and  (piickncss  of  a] (prehension."  After  examina- 
tion he  became,  October  12,  1802,  tlie  first  grad- 
uate of  the  present  celebrated  Military  Academy. 

Till  xVpril  .'i<>,  1804,  he  continueir  at  West 
Point,  exce})t  while  on  leaye  of  absence  and  attend- 
ing Courts  Martial,  in  those  days  of  fretpient  occui- 
rence  and  often  for  the  trial  of  the  most  trivial 
offences — a  Colonel  refusing  to  cut  off  his  cue  and 
trim  his  whiskers  to  a  prescribed  line,  a  INbijor  for 
selling  milk  to  his  conunand,  and  a  Lieutemtnt  for 
shooting  his  Captain's  ducks.  For  the  trial  of  such 
grave  delin(iuencies,  officers  of  high  rank  were  often 
ordered  from  the  remotest  parts  of  the  Union.  To 
one  of  Swift's  social  nature  it  was  delightful  to 
exchange  the  dull  routine  of  gari'ison  life  for  the 
intercourse  of  gentlemen  of  position  and  culture 
whom   he  often   met  when  attending  these  courts. 


I 


156 


KASTKUN    CAMI'AKiXS    OK    181.1. 


He  especially  enjoyed  the  society  of  j)ul>lic  men, 
witli  wlioiii  he  co'.ild  disfiiss  national  affairs,  he 
heiiii^  an  ardent  Federalist  of  the  \\'ashin«rton  school. 
Diniiiij:  one  (hiv  with  the  l^resident.  Swift,  then 
only  just  of  age,  did  not  hesitate  freely  to  argue 
U|>oii  the  policy  of  the  country  with  Mr.  Jeft'erson, 
who  was  reinarkal)h'  f<n*  his  urbaiiitv  to  voiini;  men. 
Swift's  diary  is  full  of  reminiscences  of  his  intei- 
coiirse  with  such  men  as  Alexander  Hamilton,  Aaron 
Burr,  General  Dearhoi'ii,  ,  Luther  Martin,  (Jeneral 
Katon  (hero  of  Derne),  Viscount  Holingbroke,  Clem- 
ent Hiddle  (Q.  ]\I.  (xeneral  of  Wasliington's  Army), 
Mr.  ^[adison,  (Tcneral  St.  Chiir,  Judge  Marshall, 
(xovernor  Smith,  of  North  Carolina,  and  other  shin- 
ing lights  of  the  day. 

Swift,  June  17,  1S()4,  took  charge,  as  Superin- 
tending Kngineer,  of  the  construction  of  the  defenses 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Cape  Fear  Kiver  in  North  Car- 
<>lina;  and  in  Januaiy  ISOa,  by  order  of  the  (Tciieral- 
in-Chief,  relieved  Lieutenant  Furgus  of  the  command 
of  Fort  Johnson,  X.  (\  The  right  of  engineer  officers 
t(^  command  troops  by  this  order  was  admitted, 
though,  June  20,  bS()8,  Colonel  AVilliams  had  been 
driven  out  of  service  because  the  Secretary  of  War 
had  denied  to  him  the  .same  claim.  During  this 
winter  of  1805,  he  performed  the  double  duties  of 
Engineer  and  Post  Commandei- ;  was  June  11,  ISO."), 
[H'omoted  to  a  First  Lieutenancy;  and  Oct.  30,  180(3, 
became  a  Captain  of  Engineers. 

Continuing  on  duty  in  North  C/arolina  till 
March  20,  1807,  he  had  formed  the  acrpiaintance  of 
many    intelligent    southern   gentlemen   and    studied 


hv 
nil 

]u 

eha 

em 

Nf 

Li( 

En. 

I>v 

eno-i 

and 
But 


Biii({.-(JKNi:uAi.  JosEFMi  (i.  swirr. 


i.r 


11 


soiitlu'i'ii  institutions,  [);irtic'ul.'irlysljivei'y,  upon  uliicli 
lu^  held  (leci<l(Mlly  advanced  opinions. 

Swift,  relieved  from  duty  in  North  Carolina, 
arrived  at  West  Point,  Apiil,  <>,  1H(>7,  and  on  the  14th, 
when  Major  William  Amhei'st  Haii'on,  the  senior 
enu'ineer  oHieei*  ju'esent,  was  arrested,  took  command 
of  the  Militarv  Academy  in  the  absence  of  Colonel 
Williams,  (hen  on  a  tour  of  ins]>ection.  Here  he  re- 
mained till  Nov.  2?{,  1(S07,  when  the  Academy  was 
closed  foi-  the  winter  vacation,  and  he  was  relieved 
from  duty  at  West  Point. 

At  this  time  the  arrou'ant  maritime  pretensions 
of  Enii'land  ovei"  our  neutral  commerce,  as  set  forth 
in  her  Oi'ders  in  Council,  and  the  no  less  insuiferalde 
mandates  of  Napoleon  in  his  Berlin  and  Milan  De- 
crees, roused  the  United  States  to  a  true  sense  of  the 
imtion's  dignity.  Thouii|;h  unj)re[)are(l  for  war  with 
either  of  these  <;Teat  powers,  Con«^ress  resolved, 
in  1808,  to  [)lace  the  country  iu  an  attitude  of  defense 
by  increasinii;  the  Army  and  makiufj  large  appropri- 
ations for  fortifications  and  ordnance. 

Swift,  promoted  to  be  a  Major  of  Eniyineers, 
Feb.  2.'i,  1.S08,  was  assio-ned,  March  14th,  to  the 
charufe  of  the  defenses  of  the  "  Eastern  I)e])artment," 
end)raciniii;  the  coasts  of  Rhode  Island,  Massachusetts, 
New  llam]>shii'e  and  Maine,  having  for  his  assistants 
Lieutenants  Totten,  Thayer  and  Willard  of  the 
F]ngineei-s.  The  existini*:  works  in  this  district,  built 
by  Rochefontaine,  Rivardi  and  Tousard,  French 
engineers  who  had  been  in  our  service,  were  small 
and  totally  inade(piate  for  the  defense  of  our  harbors. 
But  deficient  as  were  these  "nai'i-ow  redoubts,''  the 


Mr; 


158 


EASTERN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


War  Department,  not  to  he  outdone  in  ignorance  of 
the  engineering  art,  undertook,  at  Wasliingtoii,  with- 
out surveys,  to  ])hui  fortifications  for  all  selected 
sites.  Notwithstanding  Swift's  engineering  ability 
was  thus  ignored  by  the  War  r)e])artnient,  he  ini- 
niediately  commenced  making  examinations  and 
surveys  of  the  various  harbors.  lie  I'econunended 
the  occupation  by  defensive  works  of  (Teorge's  Island 
and  Long  Ishuid  Head  to  command  the  main  enti'ance 
into  Boston  Harbor,  and  selected  Naugus  Head  at 
Salem,  Black  I^>int  on  the  Merrimac,  Kittery  at 
Portsmouth,  and  S])ring  Point  and  House  Islam!  at 
Portland,  as  eligible  sites  for  new  works.  The  wisdom 
of  these  selections  has  since  been  am])ly  confirnie<l 
by  numerous  Boards  of  Engineers,  which  have, 
from  time  to  time,  j)rojected  im])ortant  forts  and 
batteries  for  most  of  these  localities.  But  the  War 
Dei)artment  assmning  ;i  monopoly  of  engineering 
skill,  sent  to  Major  S^vift,  May  10,  180S,  a  score  of 
"plans  of  a  s])ecies  of  Star  Fort,  too  small  for  any 
Hank  defense  and  too  complicate  for  a  mere  battery, 
and  unsuited  to  the  positions  for  which  they  had  l)een 
devised."  The  only  resort  left  Swift  "was  to  turn 
these  plans  on  their  ceiiti'es  until  they  might  suit  the 
sites  as  best  they  might,  in  Bostcui,  Portland  and 
otlier  hai'bors.'" 

The  "Washington  Stars"  were  supposed  to  be 
emanations  of  the  brain  of  Colonel  Heni'y  Burbeck, 
an  honest  old  veteran  and  good  artillery  officer,  but 
whose  whole  knowledge  of  engineering  was  ]>ro])ably 
derived  from  some  treatise  on  fortificatio!i  of  the 
Middle  Ages.      I)es])ite  all  I'enionstrance  upon  their 


(rei 

at 

toS 

at 

llv 

at 

Jero 

less 

stall  I 

intei 

cies 


BKIG.-GENKKAL    JOSEPH    (i.    SWIFT. 


159 


absunlity,  they  were  ordered  to  I)e  built.  Some  of 
them  remain  to  tliis  (hiy  aj^  monuments  of  past  io-no- 
riuice  and  the  folly  of  the  old  reii'ime  of  the  War  De- 
partment, which  distrusted  the  ability  ourof  young 
officers  of  engineers  educated  at  the  AEilitary  Acad- 
emy; and  believed  more  in  its  own  learning  in  the 
art  of  war,  which  must  have  come  like  Dou:bei'r\'s 
knowledge  of  reading  and  writing. 

Though  the  engineering  duties  imj)osed  U})on 
8\vift,  now  but  twenty-five  years  old,  were  onerous, 
he  found  time  to  pre[)are  the  projectiles,  implements 
and  gun  carriages  for  the  works  under  his  charge. 

At  Boston,  Swift  became  intimate  with  Doctor 
William  Eustis  who  was  ai)])ointed  by  President 
Madison  to  l)e  Secretary  of  War,  March  7,  ISO!). 
The  unfledged  Cabinet  Minister  invited  the  young 
Major  of  Engineers  to  accom[)any  him  to  Washing- 
ton and  induct  him  into  the  mystei'ies  of  his  new 
vocation.  Touvther  thev  set  out,  March  ^oth,  and 
arrived  at  the  Capital,  A})ril  7,  18(>l>.  In  the  course 
of  this  journev  Swift  met  manv  distinii'uished  men  : 
(reneral  Cobb,  foi-merly  Aid-de-Cam]»  to  Washington, 
at  Trenton  ;  Colonel  David  Humphreys,  ex-Minister 
to  Spain,  at  New  Lon(h)n  ;  lion.  I*ierre])ont  Edwards, 
at  New  Haven  ;  Coh)nel  Marin  us  Willet,  of  tlie 
Revolution,  at  New  V(»rk  ;  Colonel  William  Duan**, 
at  Piiiladel))hia ;  (xeneral  Samuel  Smith  and  Mrs. 
Jerome  Honai)arte,  at  Haltimore,  and  many  others  of 
less  note  at  vai'ious  j)oints.  \\'ith  pei'sons  of  this 
stani])  he  was  upon  a  familiar  footing,  and  by  such 
intercourse  became  ac<piainted  with  the  [)ast  deficien- 
cies and  futui'e  wants  of  the  countrv.     On  the  dav 


16U 


EASTERN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1813. 


!' 


the  Secretary  took  cliaro^e  of  tlie  War  T)e[)artiiieiit, 
lie,  Sw^ift,  and  niaiiy  other  [)ersoiian'es  diiieil  with 
Pi'esideiit  Madison,  whom  lie  found  "a  very  instriie- 
tive  person  in  conversation  and  foiul  of  story-telling, 
l»articiilarly  reminiscences  of  the  progress  of  the 
(Tovernnient  after  the  peace  of  178;},  and  es[)ecially 
of  scenes  in  the  Convention  to  form  the  Constitu- 
tion of  1 787."  xVfter  Swift's  return  to  the  east, 
though  much  occupied  with  his  duties,  he  found 
time  to  cultivate  the  ac(|uaintance  of  prominent 
men,  which  had  a  large  iiiHuence  in  giving  him  that 
hreadth  of  thought  and  those  liberal  views  which 
made  him  a  leading  man  in  after  years. 

Swift,  during  his  residence  in  Xorth  C^u'olina  in 
1804-7,  had  so  endeared  himself  to  the  Southern 
]>eo]^le,  and  commanded  such  an  intluence  in  the 
State,  that  he  was  again  ordered  to  his  old  station 
at  the  iiKMith  of  the  Ca])e  Fear  Kiver,  for  which  he 
embarked  fi'om  Boston  on  the  last  of  Octobei',  18()i». 

The  ap])roi)riations  for  foi'tifications  in  1810 
being  small.  Swift's  o]>erations  were  confined  to 
re])airs  of  defenses  and  building  of  barracks.  Con- 
gress then,  as  now,  thought  more  of  making  pai'ty 
ca]iital  than  ])roviding  for  the  coimnon  defense  of 
the  nation,  seriously  threatened  with  war  by  both 
England  and  France. 

On  the  2(»th  of  July,  bslJ,  Swift  was  detailed 
as  a  member  of  the  Court  Martial  for  the  trial  of 
(Teneral  Wilkinson,  (iieneral-in-Chief  of  the  Army, 
which  convened  at  Fivderick,  i\bl.,  Sept.  1,  l.sll. 
(teneral  Wilkinson,  says  Swift,  "came  into  court 
with    his   counsel,    Roger  B.    Paney    (subsetpiently 


no 
la 

S(» 

aci 

di>j 

tha 

<.f 

tlie 

Cn 

seir 
opii 


HKIG.-GENERAL    JOSEl'Jl    G.    SWIFI. 


161 


Chief-Justice  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court),  and  w  itli 
ek)(|ueut  address  said  to  (ieiieral  Gansevooi-t — '  Mr, 
President,  this  sword/  unclasping  it  from  his  side, 
'  has  been  tlie  untaiiiished  companion  of  my  thigh 
for  fort\'  years,  witli  a  resohition  never  to  surrendei' 
it  dislionoral)lv  to  an  eneniv.  I  am  now  by  the 
order  of  tlie  iioyernment  of  my  country  ordered  to 
place  it  in  your  hands,'  and  stepping  forward,  handed 
the  sword  to  (reneral  Ganseyoort,  who,  with  much 
simplicity  and  dignity,  and  uncommon  brevity,  re- 
])lied  :  '  General,  I  receive  your  sword — these  ofticers 
are  jissembled  to  try  you,  and  will  doubtless  do  you 
justice.  xVre  you  ready.  General  T  'I  am/  said 
Wilkinson.  'Mr.  Advocate  (General  AValter  Jones 
of  \'irginia),  ])lease  to  ju'oceed  with  the  trial.'" 

The  Court,  after  a  session  of  four  months,  ad- 
journed Dec.  '2-1,  ISII,  having  accpiitte*!  General 
Wilkinson  of  all  the  charges  against  him.  On  tlie 
•i()th  of  Dec,  says  Swift,  ''  I  j)aid  my  respects  to  tlie 
Stvretary  of  War  at  Washington,  and  found  myself 
not  as  graciously  received  as  was  the  w<»nt  of  that 
gentleman  who  had  favored  me  with  his  intimacy. 
I  also  found  in  this  place  of  large  gossip,  esj)ecially 
so  in  the  time  of  the  session  of  Congress,  that  the 
accjuittal  of  (leneral  W  ilkinson  was  receive<l  with 
disappointment  by  the  Kxecutive,  and  it  was  rumore<l 
that  some  charges  had  been  made  by  an  underling 
of  the  War  Department  (Mr.  Simmons)  adverse  to 
the  impartiality  of  some  of  the  elder  othcers  on  the 
Court:  but  that  President  Madison  would  n()t  con- 
sent to  any  such  mode  of  iminigning  the  rights  of 
opinion,  and  that  the  charges  were  sup])ivsse<l." 


^ 


sr 


162 


EASTERN    CAMPAIGNS    OF    1613. 


The  imniiiieiice  of  ^v^^l•  at  last  roused  the  lethar- 
ij:;ic  Seeretarv  of  Wai-,  ^vho  directed  Swift  in  March, 
1812,  to  iiial:e  a  careful  ins])ectiou  of  tlie  condition 
of  our  seacoast  defenses  in  (xeoru^ia,  South  and 
North  Carolina,  Viricinia  and  Maryland.  Having 
completed  this  duty  and  nuide  his  re[)oi't  in  j)erson 
at  Washing'ton,  the  President,  a|)})reciating  his  ability 
and  energy,  offered  him,  May  28,  1812,  the  com- 
mand of  a  regiment,  but  Swift,  jn-ef erring  to  do 
duty  in  his  own  Cor[)s,  was  ordered  to  return  and 
report  to  Major-General  Thomas  Pinckney  as  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  ''  Southei'ii  Department,"  which 
y)osition,  as  well  as  that  of  Aid-de-Camp,  he  held 
till  Sept.  28,  1812— in  the  meantime,  July  6,  1812, 
having  been  promoted  to  be  Lieutenant-Colonel  of 
Engineers. 

Inunediatelv  upon  beinu:  officially  notified  of  the 
resignation  of  Colonel  Williams  as  Cliief  Engineer, 
Swift,  as  next  in  i'aid<,  assumed  command  of  his 
Corps,  ])ut  he  did  not  reach  Washington  till  Oct.  21, 
1812.  Tlis  nominati(Mi  was  now  before  the  Senate 
to  fill  the  vacant  Chief  Engineership,  but,  nuich  to 
his  surprise,  he  learned  "  that  Secretary  Eustis  was 
ju'ivy  to  a  plan  to  supercede  him  in  that  office,  by 
appointing,  under  the  ])rovisions  of  the  law  to  pro- 
mote Vi'diout  regai'd  to  raid-:;  and  that  Kobei't  Ful- 
ton, tlie  distinguished  Civil  Engineei',  was  the 
candidate  that  he  j)referred.  This  saciifice  of  the 
continued  intimacy  ])etween  Eustis  and  myself  may 
have  ])een  just  in  estimatinic  the  relative  ability  of 
Mr.  Fulton  and  myself,  but  it  met  no  suj)port  from 
the   President."     Swift    was  unanimously  contirmed 


ii 


BRIG.-GKNEKAL    JOSEPH    G.    SWIFT. 


163 


Dec.  4,  1812,  with  strong  expressions  of  connnenda- 
tion  MS  Colonel  and  Chief  Enirineer,  to  rank  as  snch 
from  July  31,  1812,  the  date  of  the  acceptance  of 
tlie  resignation  of  Colonel  Williams. 

Pending  his  confirmation.  Swift  was  ordered 
back  to  su[)erintend  the  defenses  of  North  Carolina; 
hut  before  leaA'ing  AVashington  he  sent  orders  to 
Cai)tain  Partridge,  the  senior  engineer  officer  at 
West  Point,  to  open  the  Military  Academy  (then 
|)ractically  defunct)  in  the  coming  spring. 

Swift,  when  becoming  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Army,  and  e.v-ojficio  Superintendent  of  the  United 
States  Military  Academy,  was  but  thirty  years  of 
age.  Young  as  he  was  lie  liad  much  preparation  for 
his  responsible  j)osition,  for  in  Revolutionary  times 
men  have  to  think  fast  and  act  promptly,  compressing 
years  into  days.  lie  was  born  just  at  tlie  close  of 
the  War  of  Independence;  his  childhood  had  passed 
amid  the  excitements  incident  to  tlie  f(»rmation  of 
the  u'overnmeut  and  its  institutions  :  his  l)ovish  imaif- 
ination  was  inflamed  by  the  stirring  events  of  the 
French  Revolution  ;  and  his  early  manhood  had  l)een 
occupied  with  active  duties,  in  a  large  intercourse 
with  public  men  much  his  seniors,  and  in  pre]iaring 
for  our  second  strugijfle  with  one  of  the  giants  of  the 
earth.  How  he  acipiitted  himself  of  tlie  important 
trust  now  c(^nfided  to  him  the  secpiel  will  show. 

After  placing  the  woi'ks  on  the  Cape  Fear  Rivei- 
in  good  order  and  organizing  a  [)lan  of  defense,  by 
militia  and  gunboats,  for  the  entire  Coast  of  Nortli 
Carolina,  Swift  returned  to  Washington,  March  2, 
1813,  to  take   upon   himself  the  duties   of  his  new 


164 


EASTERN    CAMPAKiNH    OF    1813. 


office.  With  (xeneral  Anustroiii;',  now  Secretai*}'  of 
War,  lie  consulted  on  military  matters  generally,  ami 
particularly  upon  the  application  of  the  large  ap[)ro- 
priations  for  fortifications.  These  arranged,  he  ])ro- 
ceeded  to  New  York  harl)oi',  where,  on  the  Oth  of 
April,  he  re]>orted  himself  for  duty  to  (xeneral 
George  Izard,  the  commandant  of  the  I)e})artment, 
from  whom  he  received,  as  s[)ecially  ordered  ])y  the 
President,  the  command  of  Stateii  Island,  including 
a  brigade  of  infantry  (82d  and  41st  regiments),  in 
addition  to  his  duties  as  Chief  Engineer  and  kSu[)er- 
inteiident  of  the  United  States  Military  Academy. 

In  the  latter  capacity  he  made  fi'e([uent  \isits  to 
West  Point ;  arranged  plans  for  new  l)uildings  (Mess 
Hall,  Academy,  and  South  I^arracks),  tracing  their 
fouiidati(ms  on  the  ground  in  June  ;  obtained  author- 
ity to  em[)loy  an  acting  Chaplain  to  be  Professor  of 
Ethics,  History  and  Geography;  remodeled  the  func- 
tions of  the  Academic  Staff ;  and  assumed  the 
Inspectorship  of  the  institution,  to  bar  the  assuni])- 
tion  of  authority  claimed  by  ( -aptain  Partridge  as 
local  commander. 

Having  com])leted  the  re})airs  of  the  New  York 
forts,  and  l)iiilt  a  svsteni  of  block-houses  alonii:  the 
shores  of  the  harbor  to  prevent  a  sur[)rise  from  the 
Bi'itish  Heet,  then  anchored  off  Sandy  Hook,  Swift 
refpiested  oi'ders  for  the  field. 

On  the  9th  of  August  he  was  assigned  as  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Northern  Army  undei-  Genei'al 
Wilkinson,  and  on  the  .'Ust  reported  to  that  officei' 
at  Sackett's  Harlioi'.  Here  lie  found  everything  in 
a    most    disgi'aceful    and    deplorable   condition  ;   no 


BKI<i.-(;Kj\ERAL    JOSEIMI    G.    SWIFT. 


Ifto 


[)laii  of  cainitaiiuni  studied  or  detiiiitely  fixed;  the 
enemy's  positions  unknown,  and  tlie  St.  Lawrence 
nnexi)lored  ;  su[)[)lies  deficient  tlirouii;]!  neglect  or 
incompetency  of  the  War  Department;  expense  of 
trans])oitation  enoi-mous,  tliat  of  a  single  fieUl-piece 
costing  over  a  thousand  dollars*;  our  troo])S  mostly 
recruits,  and  sic-k  froiii  eating  contract  provisions; 
the  army  si)lit  into  factions,  with  no  one  to  liarmon- 
ize  discord;  and  authority  a  triple-headed  Cerberus 
— Armstrong,  Wilkinson  and  Hampton — barking 
and  biting  at  each  othei'  with  a  venom  disre])utable 
to  tlieir  [)rofession  and  destructive  of  all  success  to 
our  arms. 

After  holding  various  councils  of  war,  whicli 
consumed  j)recious  moments  of  the  fast  Avanii-.g  sea- 
son for  active  operations,  it  was  finally  I'esolved  to 
i-endezvous  jdl  the  troops  in  the  vicinity  of  Sackett's 
Harbor;  in  co-operation  with  Chauncey's  s(|uadron 
make  a  bold  feint  on  Kingston  ;  then  rapidly  slij) 
down  the  St.  Lawrence;  and  in  conceit  with  Ilani])- 
ton's  division,  moving  north  from  Lake  Cham])lain, 
capture  Montreal.  Swift  thought  that  in  two  days, 
with  a  thousand  men,  Kingston  could  be  sui'prised 
and  the  public  stores  burned,  hut  was  o))pose(l  to 
its  attack  should  it  delay  the  army's  descent  of  tlie 
river.  Up  to  the  lilth  he  lieard  no  more  of  an  assault 
on  Kingston,  and  as  he  had  completed  his  reconnois- 
sauce  of  the  head  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  he  proceeded 

•  The  sum  exptMuled  in  Ijuildinj:;  vessels  for  Lake  Ontario  was  |1.8f)!t,077 ; 
that  expenih'il  on  Lake  Erie  $10().(iO:i;  and  that  spent  on  Lake  Champhiin 
|2!)(i,a2l):  ainiosl  | :. 500,000  for  mere  siiip-buildinf?.  The  expenditures  for 
Mie  coiK|uest  of  the  lower  lakes  would  have  paid  for  the  transportation  of 
a  large  army  from  New  England  to  Halifax. 


16fi 


EASTERN    OAMPAirrNS    OF    1813. 


to  examine  tlie  vicinity  of  Prescott  and  to  ])repare  a 
plan  of  attaL'k  on  that  post,  wliicli   was  completed 

bv  the  ;nst. 

After  criminal  delays  and  various  misliaps,  Wil- 
kinson, with  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glo- 
rious war,  embarked,  November  ()tli,  from  French 
Creek  for  tlie  descent  of  tlie  St.  Lawrence,  the 
flotilla  of  the  foe  ra[)idly  pursuinsi;.  The  next  day 
our  armv  landed  to  march  throui^-h  Ou'densburu', 
while  Swift  at  uii^-ht  conducted  Wilkinson's  boat 
and  the  bau'ij-aue  past  Prescott,  under  a  lieavv  but 
ineffectual  fire  of  the  batteries.  Though  this  ])eril 
was  ended,  new  danger  thickened.  Before  them 
were  fearful  rapids,  the  enemy's  gunboats  hung  upon 
their  rear,  and  British  troops  harassed  them  on 
every  side  and  at  every  turn.  So  pressed  was  Wil- 
kinson that,  on  the  morning  of  the  11th,  he  sent 
Swift,  who  was  his  Aid-de-Cam[>  as  well  as  Chief 
Engineer,  with  an  order  t(^  (xeneral  Boyd  to  land, 
drive  back  the  enemy,  and  ca[)ture  his  artillery. 
The  bold  Boyd,  who  had  had  a  peculiar  military 
career  in  India  and  had  been  distinguished  for  gal- 
lantry in  the  Battle  of  Ti[)pecanoe,  prom])tly  obeyed. 
The  British  troo])s  were  well  ]X)sted  on  Chrysler's 
Field,  being  drawn  up  in  «''chelon  order  [»erpendicu- 
lai*  to  the  St,  Lawi'ence,  the  line  resting  its  right  on 
the  river,  the  left  u[)on  a  dense  black-ash  swamjt, 
and  covered  by  skii'inishers  and  several  rugged 
ravines,  while  seven  or  eight  gunboats  swept  with 
their  tires  the  whole  plain  in  front.  It  w.as  obvious 
that  our  main  attack  must  be  made  upon  the  enemy's 
left   flank.     Accordingly,    General    Swartwout   was 


m 


RT^in.-OEXERAL    JOSEPTT    O.    SWIFT. 


lr>7 


detached,  with  the  fourth  hriL-ade,  to  dislodc^e  the 
eneniv's  liLflit  troops  in  tlie  ()])eii  field;  while  Gen- 
eral Covinu'ton,  with  the  thir<l  l)ri.ii:ade,  was  ordered 
t<»  ])e  witliiii  sii]»j)ortini2:  distance.  Swartwout,  dasli- 
ini::  ,<i;allantly  tlirouuch  a  second-.^-rowth  wood,  was 
followed  by  Colonel  Kii>leyV  21st  Infantry,  which 
soon  drove  tlie  British  liu'ht  troo])s  back  uj)on  their 
main  line.     Here  the  victorious   leader  was  joined, 


on  his  left,  by  General  Covington,  when  the  com- 
bined forces  beat  l}ack  the  enemy  more  tlum  a  mile. 
Durinii;  tliis  time  the  detachment  of  the  first  brigade, 
under  Colonel  Coles,  delayed  by  dee[)  mud  of  plowed 
ground  and  greater  distance  frcnn  the  scene  of 
strife,  rapidly  came  into  action  against  the  enemy's 
left  ajnid  show«'rs  of  sehi-apnel-shells  and  bullets. 
The   H<>-ht    now    became   more  stationary  until   the 


I 


TlV 


168 


EASTKTIIV    CAMI'AION'S    OF    1813. 


hi'iirade  fii'Ht  eiiij^UL^ied,  liuviui;  «'\li;uiste(l  its  jiiiiimi- 
iiitioii,  was  directed  to  fall  back  to  a  more  def<'iisil)lc 
|)ositi<ni  to  wait  for  a  re-supply.  Tliis  retroij^radc 
iiioveineiit  so  disconnected  tlie  line,  tliut  tlie  first 
l»rii2:ade  also  retired.  Unfortunately  the  artillery, 
from  the  broken  character  of  the  ground  nnd  conse- 
([uent  circuitous  route  it  had  to  take,  did  not  reach 
the  scene  of  action  till  the  infantry  had  fullen  back; 
but  now,  placed  in  good  position  In'  (V)lonel  Swift, 
the  fire  of  our  guns  was  steady  and  destructive. 

The  enemy,  (piickly  discovering  our  disorder  and 
slackened  fire,  ])ushed  vigorously  forward  and  en- 
deavored by  a  fiank  movement  to  ca])ture  our  cannon, 
when  Adjutaiit-dreiieral  Walbach,  n  (xerman  veteran 
in  our  army  who  liad  seen  riuch  foreign  sci'vice, 
gave  the  order  "to  charge  mit  de  Di'agoons"  and 
thus  saved  the  |)ieces.  The  effort  was  renewed,  and 
when,  finallv,  the  batterv  was  ordered  to  retire,  hav- 
ing  to  ])ass  a  deep  ravine,  one  ])iece  was  unfortu- 
nately lost.  Its  gallant  commander.  Lieutenant  Wil- 
liam W.  Smith,  one  of  the  early  graduates  of  the 
Military  Academy,  was  serving  it  with  his  own 
hai;ds,  most  of  his  gunners  being  killed,  when  he 
too  was  mortally  wounded  and  taken  prisoner. 

The  whole  of  our  line  was  now  re-formed  on  tlie 
margin  of  the  woods,  when,  night  and  storm  coming 
on,  Boyd  retired,  in  good  order  and  without  moles- 
tation from  the  enemy,  to  the  vicinity  of  our  flotilla. 
In  this  spirited  action  (xeneral  C(n'ington  was  mortally 
wounded,  and  one-fifth  of  our  force  put  liors  de  romhai^ 
and,  though  our  troo])s  were  safely  re-embarked,  oui' 
dead  were  left  on  the  field  in  possession  of  the  British. 


IJUKJ.-OENERAL    -lOSKlMl    (J.    SWIIT. 


169 


In  li'iH  (les^patcli  to  the  War  Department  Wilkin- 
son says:  "  Colonel  Swift  took  the  boldest  and  most 
active  part  in  the  action  of  the  11th,  of  any  indi- 
vidual enjj^aged,  except  Adjutant-Cienei'al  Walbach." 
The  next  day  a  letter  was  received  from  IIam])toii, 
declininii;  a  junction  of  his  army  at  St.  Regis,  which 
ended  the  St.  Lawrence  campaign — Wilkinson  on  the 
14th,  going  into  winter  (piarters  at  French  Mills,  on 
the  Salmon  River,  he  having  spent  more  days  than 
it  now  takes  liours  in  the  descent  of  the  rivei*. 

The  genius  of  mismanagement  seemed  to  lead 
our  armies  in  every  attempt  to  concpUM*  (\anada,  for 
Wilkinson's  campaign  was,  in  execution,  as  abortive 
and  discreditable  as  Hull's,  and  in  design  only  paral- 
leled by  Andierst's  absurd  flank  movement,  in  1760, 
of  four  hundred  miles  to  reach  Montreal  by  way  of 
Oswego  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  wdien  from  the  foot  of 
Lake  Champlain  he  was  within  an  eighth  of  the  dis- 
tance, and  on  the  true  strategic  line  to  reach  liis 
objective  point. 

Leaving  Brevet  Major  Totten  as  Chief  Engineer 
of  the  Northern  Army,  Swift,  on  the  ITtli  of  Nov., 
departed  from  Salmon  River  witli  confidential  des- 
patches from  the  General-in-Chief  to  Hampton  and 
the  War  De[)artnient.  After  conferring  with  the 
former,  he  wrote  to  Wilkinson  the  exact  condition  of 
things,  and  gave  him  some  admirable  advice  upon 
the  manner  of  conducting  a  winter  or  spring  cam- 
paign against  Montreal,  suggesting  that  the  Sorel 
was  the  true  strategic  line  of  o])eration,  as  followed, 
in  1775,  by  Montgomery.  On  his  way  to  Washing- 
ton he  met  at  Albany  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 


17(» 


KASTKKN'    CAMI'AKi.NS    (»!■     IMi;!. 


aocoiiij»;nu('(l  liim  to  the  (•a|)it,'il,  wliciv  lie  fivcly  u^jivc 
his  views  oii  the  coiKliict  of  tlic  \\;ii*  hoth  (o  the 
Secretary  and  tlie  Picsiih'iit,  whidi  prohaMy  irri- 
tated tile  toniier  mihI  lost  to  Swift  the  just  reward 
for  his  ijallaiitrv  at  C'lii'vsler''s  Field.  Instend  of 
Noveiid)ei-  11,  lSl;5,  the  (hite  of  the  hattle,  he  was 
not,  till  Fel).  1*.»,  1  <Sl  4,  bre vetted  a  Hriuadier-Cieiieral, 
and  then  only  for  "meritorious  services."  Arm- 
stron^-'s  dislike  to  \\'ilkinsou,  the  frien<l  of  Swift, 
may  also  have  Iiad  its  inllucnce,  to  say  notliini^  of 
his  unwilliniji;ness  to  become  i'esj)onsil)le  in  any  way 
for  the  shortcoiuinii's  of  the  St.  Lawrence  campaign. 

This  Canipaii;-n  of  isl.S,  as  befoi'e  stated,  was  in 
principle  the  same  as  that  which  had  so  sio-nally 
failed  in  1812.  The  chief  defects  we  will  now  point 
out,  but  will  not  considei'  many  minor  faults. 

Points  of  Aitack. — The  Invasion  of  Canada  was 
nndertaken  at  three  points,  on  a  thousand  miles  of 
frontier  extending  from  Lake  ^Michigan  to  Lake 
Champlain,  by  columns  too  distant  for  any  mutual 
suj)[)ort.  That  of  the  L(d't,  aftei'  long  and  costly 
ti'ial,  did  recover  ^Michigan  Territoiy,  but  ^vhh  useless 
as  an  attack  on  (Canada  in  which  it  made  no  ])erma- 
nent  lodgement ;  that  of  the  (Ventre  struck  at  sev- 
eral unimpc^rtant  i)oints,  wasted  a  whole  season  in 
useless  ex})eriments,  and  accomj)lished  nothing  for 
the  invasion  of  Canada;  and  that  of  the  Right  not 
only  made  a  ridiculous  promenade,  but  actually  dis- 
graced our  arms. 

Time  ov  Aitack. — As  in  LSI 2,  there  were  no 
synchronous  movements  of  our  columns  invadina: 
Canada.     The   Left    entered   the  enemA^'s  territorv 


e 

Si 


t'u 
1>I 


ni!ni,-(ii:xKitAL  joskimt  a.  swiit. 


171 


U       t 


ho 


iu\'ir  ^[Jll(^'ll,  S»'|)t(Mn])ei' *2!)tli ;  the  CVntre  cajiturtMl 
Vork  Ai)ril  27rli,  mid  Fort  Cleorife  May  I'Ttli,  jind 
linally  iM'uaii  the  (lese<Mit  of  tlie  St.  Lawrence 
Noveiuher  ."itli  ;  aiul  the  Ivlnlit  eroj^sed  tlie  ])order 
Se[)teiiil)er  2(ttli,  and  a  moiitli  after,  Octol)er  21st, 
moved  forward  to  its  tield  of  t^loi'V  at  Chateaiiijav. 
Tliis  want  of  concert  of  action  [XMinitted  the  enemy, 
of  which  lie  avaih'd  liiniself  in  some  instances,  to 
concentrate  his  forces  upon  our  isolated  columns. 

FoiicK  FOR  Attack. — Though  our  forces  were 
(generally  superior  to  those  of  the  enemy  at  tlie 
points  attacked,  there  is  no  doul)t  that,  had  HaiTison 
heen  left  to  recover  Michisj^an  Territorv  and  small 
<j!;arrisons  been  ])laced  to  guard  exposed  points  of  our 
frontier,  we  might  have  massed  our  remaining  troops 
at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Champlain  and,  under  a  com- 
petent general,  have  marched  to  Montreal  in  May 
when  the  season  was  the  most  favorable,  and  thus 
have  saved  the  disgi'ace  of  our  movements  six  months 
later  in  stormv  November. 

AiiMY  Commanders. — The  ex])ei'ience  of  the  for- 
mer campaign  had  not  iin])ressed  upon  the  War 
De]\artment  the  importance  of  vigorous  and  able 
leaders  to  our  forces  who  were  still  the  Dearborns, 
ILarrisous,  ^^'ilkinsons,  Hamptons,  Chandlers,  Wind- 
ers, etc.,  while  we  had  in  our  armies  a  Brown,  Pike, 
Swift,  Scott,  Miller,  McRee,  Totten,  Wood,  etc.,  in 
positions  where  they  could  accomplish  but  little. 

Conduct  of  the  Campaign. — DefecHve  as  was 
its  plan,  had  it  been  conducted  with  spirit,  resolu- 
tion and  prom[)titude,  much  might  have  l)eeii  accom- 
plished.    Had  the  instructions  of  the  War  Depart- 


1 


72 


EASTERN    CAMI'AKiNS    OF    1813. 


merit  been  eairied  out  by  General  Dearborn  early  in 
April  of  strikiiii^  first  at  Kingston  wlieii  its  garrison 
was  weak  and  the  Britisli  Heet  fast  moored  there 
in  ice,  the  place  could  easily  have  been  captured  ; 
the  fleet  burned ;  the  military  and  naval  stores 
destroyed  or  removed  ;  an  end  have  been  put  to 
Indian  hostilities  in  die  West ;  Upper  Canada  been 
severed  from  the  Lower  Province ;  and  Montreal 
soon  after  have  fallen  into  our  possession.  Instead, 
however,  of  accomplishing  all  this,  our  forces  were 
removed  to  the  head  of  Lake  Ontario  as  soon  as  the 
navigation  (>])ened,  therel)y  ex])()sing  our  principal 
depot  of  supplies  and  ship-yard  at  Sackett's  Harbor 
to  a  capture  by  the  eiiemy's  army  and  navy,  from 
which,  as  by  a  miracle,  it  liarely  escaped. 

The  attack  on  York  had  no  military  importance 
as  proved  by  our  swift  al)andonment  of  it  as  soon 
as  captured;  and,  though  brilliantk'  carried,  the 
results  were  a  heavy  loss  of  troops  including  their 
gallant  leader,  the  escape  of  the  British  garrison  and 
its  commanding  general,  and  the  possession  of  some 
stores  which  were  removed  to  Sackett's  lIar])or, 
and  s\d)se(piently  burned  there  through  mistake  of 
the  naval  officer  in  charge. 

After  a  month  more  of  uni)ardonable  delays 
Fort  (xeorge  Avas  captured,  but,  as  at  York,  its  gar- 
rison and  commanding  general  were  allowed  to 
escape.  Had  Colonel  Winfleld  Scott  not  l)een  or- 
dered to  desist  from  his  hot  [)ursuit,  he  could  easily 
have  captuicd  the  British  forces.  This  error.eons 
order  .mabled  Vincent  and  Sheaffe  sid)sequently  to 
shake  hands  in  the  mountain  passes,  retain  the  Niag- 


th 
Fa 

sa 

iiio 

ii|)( 

Ilea 

f  ( )( ) 

aiK 

foe, 

at  a 

eiiti 

aiKJ 


HIJKi.-GKNEKAL    .lOSKPII    O.    SWII-T. 


i7;i 


'  ''11!! 


'"■ 


jini  Peninsula,  and  save  an  ai'niy  wliich  inflicted 
upon  us  another  year  of  humiliation  and  disaster. 
Four  niontlis  of  the  most  criminal  niismanao:ement 
foHowed,  wlien  we  finally  withdrew  from  tlie  Penin- 
suha  for  whose  con([uest  we  had  Avasted  more  tlian  a 
wliole  summer,  lost  many  ])reci(ms  lives,  incurred 
very  heavy  expenses,  and  tai'uished  the  re[)utation 
of  our  arms.  We  retained  notliing  except  Fort 
(reorge,  which  soon  after  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  who  now  being  unopposed  desohited  our 
whole  border  from  Erie  to  Ontari(^. 

Tlie  failure,  however,  of  the  campaign  on  the 
Ontario  frontier  after  tlie  loss  of  so  much  time,  men, 
money  and  reputation  did  not  yet  open  the  eyes  of 
the  government  to  the  secret  of  our  recurring  disas- 
ters— the  employment  of  effete  conunanders.  It 
still  persisted  in  its  blindness  in  retaining,  for  the 
direction  of  the  autumn  expedition  to  Montreal,  two 
Old  veterans  who  had  seen  much  service  and  had 
thereby  become  as  learned  in  strategy  as  I'rince 
Eugene's  jackass  after  making  twenty  cani])aigiis. 

Wilkinson  and  nann)ton,  instead  of  securing  a 
safe  iunction  within  our  own  territory  and  then 
moving  with  their  united  forces  by  the  shortest  line 
ui)on  Montreal,  decided  to  dei>art,  one  from  the 
head  of  the  St,  La^yrence  and  the  other  from  the 
foot  of  Lake  Champlain,  each  making  a  diflicult 
and  dangerous  flank  march  in  })reseiice  of  oui'  active 
foe,  in  the  hope  of  uniting  within  the  enemy's  territory 
at  a  point  and  time  not  specified,  thereby  giving  the 
♦'iitire  British  army  the  opportunity  of  falling  up(m 
and  ci'usliiim-,  in  succession,  both  of  our  isolated  col- 


174 


KASTKIIN    CAMI'AKiXS    (»F    lsi:5. 


f?:?!: 


umns  before  L!;('ttiii!ji:  witlilii  i'c.mcIi  of  iiiutiial  sup- 
port. Tlic  success  of  eitlicr  colinuu  uiust  li;t\«'  hceu 
iuii:;.'itorv,  witliout  tlie  same  i;'o(mI  foiiuue  atlcndiuu' 
tlieni  l)otli. 

I'lius  iuii'loriouslx'  eiidefl    ilie  second    \-eai-  of  the 


war.  111  wliicli  our  ai'iuies 


had   I 


»e(^ii   uuenii) 


h>\('d 


ol' 


iniseiin>loyed  ah)Uu:  an  extensive  fVontlei-  at  urcat 
loss  of  labor  and  chaiacter,  thus  exliaustinu'  tlie 
nation's  patience,  when  h'ss  force  and  treasure,  well 
directed,  would  have  con(piered  (^anacha. 

We  forbear  furtliei-  ei'iticisni  on  tliis  campaiun, 
for  we  have  much  to  say  of  (ieneral  Swift,  whose 
l)iou'raphy  is  tlie  subject  of  tliis  cliaptei'. 

Karly  in  the  spriiiii;  of  1814,  and  in  accoinhmce 
with  the  wislies  of  (xeneral  Hi'own,  he  aj>|)lied  foi* 
rders  to  take  the  field  as  Chief  Knuineei-  on  liie 
Niagara  frontier  ;  but  tlie  Secretai'y  of  War  refused 
his  application,  on  the  ground  that  the  ( *oast  De- 
fenses, which  he  then  was  insjH'ctinu",  I'eipiired  his 
attention;  but  ])ossibly  a  secret  grudgt'  against  the 
friend  of  Wilkinson  mii^ht  haxc  had   somethinu'  to 


o 


do  wi 


thl 


lis    I'( 


fusal. 


Swift,    early   in   flune,   in    conjunction   with    the 
Committee   of    Safety    of  the    citv   of    New     York, 

ft-  I' 

made  a  reconnoissanceof  the  appi'oaches  to  its  harbor, 
and  decided  iij)on  the  necessity  for  lines  of  works  t<» 
covei'  New  York  and  lirooklyn  from  any  descent 
upon  our  shores  from  the  Hritish  scpiadron  then 
cruising  off  the  coast.  'I4ie  Manhattan  line  was 
begun  July  15,  1<S14,  at  llallett's  J*oint  (since  so 
famous  from  (lenei-al  Newton's  great  blasting  opera- 


tions 


)  by  th 


le  construction  ofc  a   work,  jormimj:   the 


''>\ 


''■■'  im: 


ii 


170 


eastp:kn  campaigns  of  isis. 


riglit  of  tlie  line,  named  Fort  Stevens,  after  the  Kev- 
olutionaiy  patriot — General  Stevens — a  prominent 
ofHcer  of  artillery  at  Saratoga  in  1777.  Two  days 
later,  gronnd  ^vas  broken  on  the  left  at  Mount  Alto 
on  the  Hudson,  the  line  passing  thence,  by  McGowan's 
pass  and  the  elevated  ground  that  overlooks  Harlem 
Flats,  to  Hell  Gate.  The  trenches  were  opened  by  a 
detachment  of  citizen  volunteers  from  the  city, 
under  Major  Vau  Horn,  a  Kevolutionary  worthy. 
This  short  inner  line  was  adopted  because  uien  and 
money  were  not  at  command  to  build  a  longer  outei' 
line.  Operations  were  connnenced,  August  (>,  1814, 
on  the  Long  Island  line,  at  Fort  Greene  (now  within 
Brooklyn  city  limits),  by  a  detachment  of  a  thousand 
citizens.  Soon  there  were  from  1,200  to  2,000  work- 
ing regularly  upon  the  two  lines,  and  20,800  at  call 
habitually  under  arms  and  sufficiently  drilled  to  man 
the  works,  though  not  more  than  12,000  of  them 
were  encamped  within  the  intrenchments.  Swift 
was  appointed  Inspector  General  of  the  whole  force, 
and  was  virtually  in  command,  he  having  to  suj^er- 
vise  everything,  not  only  the  construction  of  the 
defenses  and  their  armament,  but  the  providing  of 
commissary  and  medical  supplies.  In  a  few  weeks 
nuich  was  accomplished,  gentlemen  Avith  pick  and 
shovel  working  as  day-laborers  in  the  trenches. 
The  enthusiasm  of  ])t)tli  youth  and  as^e  was  con- 
stantl}^  stinudated  by  elo(pient  speeches,  [)atriotic 
songs,  thrilling  stories,  valorous  deeds  of  our  navy, 
heroic  feats  of  the  Niagara  army,  and  last,  not  least, 
the  news  of  the  vandal  destruction  of  the  Cai)itol. 
By  the  close  of  Novend^er  New  York  and  Brooklyn 


(\ 


niUO.-fJENKHAL   JOSEPH    (i.   swiri'. 


177 


Avere  safe,  and  tlie  well-maimed  lines,  Ijristling  with 
artillery,  bade  defiance  to  the  foe. 

Swift's  services  were  so  hiiihly  esteemed  that  the 
corporation  of  New  York  voted  that  he  was  a  "  Ben- 
efactor to  the  City,"  placed  his  porti'ait  by  Jarvis  in 
the  City  Hall,  presented  j\[rs.  Swift  with  a  magnifi- 
cent service  of  plate  of  foiiy-three  pieces,  and  him- 
self with  a  Leautifnl  case  of  silver  drawing-instin- 
ments  and  a  large  pleasnre  l)arge. 

No  sooner  had  Swift  completed  the  defensive 
lines  to  cover  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  than  his 
talents  and  experience  were  called  into  re(piisiti()n 
upon  the  board  to  form  a  new  system  of  Infantry 
Tactics ;  soon  after,  upon  the  commission  to  reduce 
the  army  to  a  Peace  Establishment;  and  later,  with 
Colonel  George  Bomford,  to  decide  upon  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  Ca])itol  at  A\'ashington,  destroyed  by  the 
barbarious  conflaijration  ordered  by  Admiral  Cock- 
burn  of  the  British  Navy. 

The  War  with  England  being  terminated  by  the 
Treaty  of  Ghent,  Swift,  in  his  new  headcpiarters  at 
Washington,  devoted  himself  afresh  to  his  duties  of 
Chief  Engineer,  nearly  a  million  of  dollars  having 
been  aj^propriated  for  fortifications.  He  Avas  also  a 
meml)er  of  the  joint  Army  and  Navy  Board  to  select 
a  northern  site  for  a  defensible  naval  depot  between 
Ne\v  York  and  Casco  Bay. 

Early  in  181(),  a  disturbing  element  came  sadly 
to  mar  Swift's  future  careei-.  Notwithstanding  the 
experience  in  our  service  of  intriguing  Conways 
and  other  imported  chai'latans  of  the  Bevolution, 
Congi'ess,    infatuated   witli   an   exalted    idea  of  the 


w^m^ 


17.S 


EASTERN"    rAMI'AHiNS    OF    1813. 


superiority  of  l'or('i<j:ii  military  talent,  autlioi'ized, 
April  iMItli,  the  President  to  «Miij)loy  a  skillful  i\ssis- 
tant,  to  lie  attached  to  the  (\»i'|>s  of  Kiio-iiieers,  with 
the  ])ay  of  its  Chief,  Upon  the  reeoniniendation  of 
A11)ert  Gallatin  and  the  Mar(|uis  Lafayette,  the  selec- 
tion fell  upon  BriL^adier-(ieneral  Simon  Bernard  of 
the  French  Army,  a  ilistinuniished  enn'ineei-  undei' 
Napoleon,  particularly  as  the  constructer  of  the 
great  forti'ess  of  Antwer]),  where  he  so  won  the  con- 
fidence of  his  sovereio-n  that  he  annuallv  called  hiin 
to  preside  over  the  "  Conseil  su[)erieur  du  Genie  " 
wliich  projected  the  entire  defenses  of  the  Empire  ; 
took  him  as  Aide-de-Canip  to  Saxony  in  1818;  and 
made  him  Director  of  his  Toju^graphical  Bureau  in 
the  Waterloo  campaign  of  LSI 5.  Lpon  Bernard's 
arrival  in  the  United  States,  the  Secretary  of  War, 
November  IG,  181G,  placed  him  at  the  head  of  tlie 
Board  of  Engineers,  at  the  same  time  General  Swift 
being  oi'dered  to  assume  the  personal  superintendency 
of  the  ^Lilitarv  Academv.  >\'hatever  miujlit  have 
been  tlu^  merits  of  General  Bernard,  this  cei'taiidy 
was  a  cruel  blow  to  a  ])rou<l  otHcei",  who,  for  fourteen 
years  in  peace  and  war,  had  been  so  zealous  and 
able  in  the  ]>erformance  of  every  duty  entrusted  to 
his  charge.  Swift,  of  course,  ])rotested  against  this 
<>:ross  insult  to  himself,  and  humiliatinu'  dei-radation 
of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  formed  of  native  talent, 
expressly  to  avoid  recourse  to  foi*eign  aid  ;  scientifi- 
cally educated  at  our  INLlitarv  Academ\  established 
for  that  special  pur)K)se  ;  just  crowned  with  vic^^o- 
rious  laurels  won  in  the  cam])aign  of  1814;  and 
wliose  pride  and  emulation  had  built  up  a  body  of 


JUJIU.-CiKNKKAL    .lOSKlMl    (J.    SWIIT. 


1  7'.» 


ortict'i's  of  wliicli  ;uiy  iintioii  iiiiulit  well  he  proiul. 
He  oiiIUmI  to  iiiiiid  liow  iiiiicli  the  i:'ov<'i'iiinent  had 
alreudv  suffered  from  the  futile  essjivs  au<l  serious 
])lundei's  of  iiiilitary  adventurers  and  iui])oi'te(l  cugi- 
ueei's,  and  ai'gued  witli  great  force  Uj»on  the  iin))oli('y 
of  entrusting  our  defens«'s  to  any  foreigner,  wliat- 
ever  liis  ability,  whose  interest  was  tliat  of  Ids  own 
country,  not  ours,  and  who,  in  the  ('vcnt  of  war, 
iui<i;lit  become  our  most  daiio'ei'ous  (Mieniv.  IIow- 
ever,  liaving  a  courteous  regard  for  (ieneral  Bernard, 
and  recognizing  liis  eminent  services  in  Kui'ope, 
Swift  sugu'ested  that  his  abilities  and  ac(piirements 
could  be  most  ju-otitably  employed  in  teaching  the 
art  of  war  at  tlie  Militaiy  Aca<lemy.  rnder  tlie 
law  it  was  tliouglit  this  could  not  be  done,  hence  lie 
continued,  until  18^)1,  upon  the  Board  of  Engineers. 
His  talents  and  exj)erience  were  doubtless  of  con- 
siderable vabie  to  our  country;  but  it  is  questionable 
whether  his  magniticent  ideas  (ff  fortifications,  re- 
(piiring  millions  foi'  their  construction  were  suited 
to  the  wants  of  this  counti'y,  scjjarated  by  a  <lee]) 
wet  moat  (8,000  miles  broad )  from  any  European 
besieger.  Certainly  the  (iidf  works,  Forts  Caswell, 
Hamilton  and  Monroe,  designed  by  Bernai'd,  are 
less  adapted  to  their  sites  than  most  of  the  (h  fenses 
pi'ojected  by  our  (twn  engineers. 

Swift's  duties  in  the  field  dui'ing  the  war  with 
(ireat  l^ritain  had  much  interfered  with  his  direc- 
tion of  the  jVIilitary  Academy,  but  hai'dly  had  i>eace 
been  ])roclaimed  l)efore  lie  gave  his  attention  to  an 
extended  organization  of  that  institution.  The  first 
want  beinu'  an   efficient   head,  he   recommended   the 


I 


IHO 


EASTERN    CAMI'AKINS    OF    lftl3. 


sending  to  Eiir<)[)e  of  two  of  our  ablest  engineer 
otHcei's — M«'Re<'  and  Tlia\er — ostensibly  to  examine 
the  Freneli  and  Netlierland  fortitications,  an<l  pur- 
cliase  l)ooks  to  form  a  library  at  West  Point ;  but, 
tliougli  not  mentioned  in  tlieir  instructions,  it  was 
d()u])tless  intended  that  by  the  study  of  tlie  mili- 
tary schools  of  northern  Europe  they  were  to  tit 
themselves  to  become,  one  or  the  other,  the  Super- 
intendent of  the  Military  Academy,  there  being 
much  dissatisfaction  Avith  the  otticer  in  local  com- 
mand at  West  Point.  The  next  want  was  funds  to 
cai'ry  on  the  Academy,  no  ap])ropriation  for  that  object 
l)eing  then  available.  PViling  to  secure  a  loan  for 
the  purj)ose  from  the  New  York  banks,  Swift,  with 
the  sanction  of  the  War  De[)artment,  concluded  an 
arrangement  Avith  Jacob  Barker,  a  rich  Quaker  mer- 
chant, by  which  he  was  to  advance  $();'), 000  at  seven 
})er  cent.,  thereby  preventing  the  dislmndment  of 
the  institution.  Considering  the  condition  of  the 
"  Public  Credit,"  this  was  a  highly  patriotic  act  on 
Bai'ker's  part.  This  difficulty  arranged,  tlie  old  one 
recurred — an  efficient  head  for  the  Academy  at 
West  Point.  Ca])tain  Partridge,  then  in  command, 
was  a  good  mathematical  teacher  and  a  mai'tinet 
drill-master,  but  a  poor  administrator,  and  unfitte<l 
from  temperament  and  mannei'  to  conti'ol  students 
and  professors.  Both  the  President  and  Secretary 
of  AVar  were  nmcli  displeased  with  the  conduct  of 
affairs  at  West  Point,  and  urged  the  removal  of 
Partridge  from  command  ;  but  yielded  to  the  solici- 
tation of  the  Chief  Engineer  to  delay  action.  Soon 
after,  it  was  s!ipposed   the  (Joi'dian  knot  ha<l  ])een 


W'{t 


IJHKJ.-CJKNKIIAL    .lOSKlMI    (i.    SWII'I'. 


181 


cut  l)y  tlie  resolution  of  Con2:i'esH  jiutlioriziui'  tlie 
(Miiploynieut  of  a  skilful  foivit;"n  otticer,  to  l)e  virtu- 
ally at  the  liead  of  the  Corps  of  Kui^ineei's,  thoujjjh 
ostensibly  under  the  orders  of  its  Chief.  Ai.'tin<^  at 
AVashington  on  that  hypothesis,  Swift  was  ordered 
to  West  Point,  the  legal  head*  quarters  of  the  Corps 
of  Engineers,  with  dii*eetious  to  assume  the  personal 
su])erintendeney  of  the  Military  Aea<leniy.  This  he 
did  Novendjer  25,  181(),  without  making  any  fac- 
tious opposition  to  wliat  he  felt  was  a  gross  ])ersonal 
indignity,  and  an  illegal  attem[)t  to  de[)rive  him  of 
his  just  rights  as  (/hief  Englneei'.  lie  made  a  dig- 
nified remonstrance  against  this  procedure,  detei'- 
mining  in  his  own  mind  to  resign  his  commission 
rather  than  submit  to  dishonor.  For  the  seven 
weeks  of  his  enforced  banishment  at  West  Point  he 
went  on  in  the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  atteriding 
strictly  to  his  duties,  and  in  no  manner  attem])ted  to 
imj)e(le  the  public  service;  but,  Jan.  18,  1817,  he 
left  Captain  Partridge  again  in  local  connnand  of  the 
Military  Academy,  and  proceeded  to  Washington  to 
lay  his  grievances  before  President  Madison,  whose 
Acting  Secretary  of  War — George  (ii-aham — had 
usurped  SwiiVs  functions  in  giving  direct  orders  to 
(xemeral  Bernai'd,  without  any  notice  to  the  Chief 
Engineer.  This  residted  in  Swift's  resuming  his 
proj)er  position  in  Washington  at  the  head  of  tlu^ 
Cor])s  of  Fhigineers,  and  leaving  (xeneral  l^ei'uard 
without  any  military  control  whatever,  not  even  tlie 
Presidency  of  the  Board  of  Engineers,  which  Swift 
had  assumed  Novend)er  19,  ISK). 

Mr.  Monroe,  with  whom  Swift  had  always  had 


IS -2 


KASTKUX    CAMI'AKi.VS    ()F    18i:S. 


the  most  cordial  relations,  Ix^caiius  March  4,  ISIT, 
the  I*r»*si(l('iit  ot*  tlie  ljiiit«'(l  States,  and  John  C. 
Calhoun  his  Secretary  of  War.  'I'he  hittei-  had  un- 
fortunately ini))il)ed  tlie  common  idea  of  General 
Bernard's  ti'anseendent  i^enius,  and  conse(|uently 
often  thwarted  the  views  of  Swift  when  in  conflict 
with  those  of  the  French  en<;'inee)'.  Thouo'h  at 
times  o'l-eatly  annoyed,  Swift  continued  conscien- 
tiously to  ])erf()rm  his  duties,  which  were  now  niucli 
with  the  l>oard  of  FnL;"ineers. 

Upon  the  invitation  of  Presi(hMit  Monroe,  Swift, 
as  Chief  of  his  military  staif,  accompanied  him  from 
June  1  to  July  17,  ISIT,  on  his  triumi»hal  tour 
through  the  Nortliern  States.  During  this  gala 
campaign  of  seven  weeks.  Swift  was  not  entirely 
ahsoi'bed  with  fetes,  processions  and  illuminations ; 
but  saw  much  of  distinguished  public  men  ;  visited  the 
battle-fields  c^f  the  Kevolution  and  AVar  of  1812-15  ; 
inspected  arsenals,  navy  yards  and  fortifieatiims; 
attended  military  reviews,  and  studied  the  ca])acity 
of  the  counti'y  for  defense;  and  examined  institu- 
tions of  learniui'",  naiticularly  tlie  Military  Academy, 
in  whicli  the  President  was  much  interested. 

On  the  occasion  of  this  latter  visit  to  AVest 
I*oint,  it  was  decided  to  su[)ersede  Captain  Partridge 
])V  Brevet  ALijor  Svlvanus  Thaver,  who  beii:an  his  dis- 
tinguished  su])erintendency  of  the  Academy  July  liS, 
1817.  The  subse(pient  return  of  Partridge  to  West 
Point,  his  violation  of  orders  in  usurping  command, 
and  his  trial  and  sentence  of  dismissal  ludong  to  the 
history  of  the  Militaiy  Academy.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
in  this  connection,  tliat  Swift's  kind  heart  interposed 


¥ 


in;i(!.-<ii:Ni:K  \i,  .iosimmi  <;.  swiri'. 


^s'^ 


to  save  tlie  t'utal  full  of  his  fornuT  favorite,  \\li(»  was 
at  liis  iii'u'eiit  iv(jiiest  allo\V('(l  to  I'csiLiii  liis  (•(Himiis- 
sioii  ill  the  (Joi'])s  of  Kiioiiiccrs.  We  I'eii'i'ol  to  a(hl 
tliat  Swift's  noi)h^  eonsideratioii  was  soon  alter  re- 
cruited with  the  basest  iiiuratitiide.  Partridu'e  ae- 
tually  |)referred  eharu'es  of  inaladiiiiiiisti'atioii  au'ainst 
liis  benefactor,  who  had  saved  him  from  tlie  evei'- 
lastiiii;-  disu^race  of  beini;'  "Cashiered,'''  as  was  his 
sentenee  ;  but  tlie  President  and  Secretai'v  of  \\  ai- 
were  so  well  satisfied  that  these  aemsations  were 
malicious  and  false  that  all  proceediny's  in  refei'- 
erence  to  them  wei-e  instantly  denied,  while  Swift's 
accounts  were  promptly  examined  by  the  aiiditinu' 
officers  of  the  Treasury  and  pronounced  to  be  just 
and  accurate. 

The  Presidential  tour  extended  eastward  to  Port- 
L'UkI,  Maine,  where  Swift  ]>arted  from  ]\Ii-.  ]\b)nroe, 
who  ex})ressed  i^reat  satisfaction  with  the  services 
of  the  ('liief  Eno;ineer.  He  then,  with  the  Joint 
Board  of  Army  and  Xavy  otlicers,  made  examina- 
tions, fi'oui  the  Penobscot  to  the  Thames,  of  all  suit- 
al)le  sites  for  naval  depots.  Soon  after,  he  accom- 
])anied  the  Board  of  Kn<i;ineers  to  the  Chesapeake 
and  its  tributaries,  to  select  sites  foi-  fortifications, 
and,  with  the  otHcers  of  the  navy,  to  locate  a  navy 
yard  near  Norfolk,  Va.  The  winter  |)uttinii:  u  ^top 
to  further  ex])loratious,  Swift  axailed  himself  of  the 
op])ortuiiity  to  revisit  Noi'th  ('arolina,  where  he  was 
received  with  open  arms  and  was  much  feted  by  old 
friends. 

On  the  1st  of  A])ril,  isbs,  he  was  again  at 
AVashington,  and   on  the  20th  of  May  resumed  his 


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184 


EASTKRPf    CAMPAIONS    OF    1813. 


labors  witli  the  Board  of  Engineers  on  tlie  Chesa- 
])eake.  Being  joined  by  the  President  and  tlie 
Secretaries  of  War  and  Navy,  they  togetlier  visited 
Ilainpton  Roads  and  adjacent  waters;  examined  the 
scene  of  Cornwallis'  surrender  at  Yorktown  ;  and 
])artook  of  the.  usual  junketings  incident  upon  a 
Presidential  tour.  After  further  examinations  of  the 
northern  tributaries  of  the  Chesapeake,  Swift  pro- 
ceeded to  AVashington,  and  from  thence  in  September 
made  his  last  inspection  of  the  Militaiy  Academy, 
he  beinir  already  enijaijed  with  (Touverneur  Kemble 
and  four  others  in  establishing  a  foundry  at  Cold 
Spring  on  the  Hudson.  For  more  than  two  years 
he  had  contemplated  entering  civil  life,  and  accord- 
ingly tendered  his  resignation,  Nov^  12,  1818,  of  his 
commission  of  Chief  Engineer;  but  expressly  reserved 
all  liis  ri2:hts  as  a  Brevet  Briijadier-General  in  the 
Army,  to  be  called  into  service  in  the  event  of  war. 
Till  his  death,  he  maintained  that  his  brevet  rank 
Avas  liehl  in,  trusit  by  the  President,  to  be  restored  on 
the  occurrence  of  hostilities  with  a  foreign  foe. 

Thus  was  a  second  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Army 
forced  out  of  service  by  the  injustice  of  our  govern- 
ment. From  the  moment  Cfeneral  Bernard  was  in- 
vited to  be  the  head  projector  of  the  defenses  of  our 
coasts,  the  iron  entered  into  the  soul  of  the  high- 
spirited  Swift,  who  keenly  appreciated  the  humili- 
ation <>f  his  position,  and,  after  wrestling  over  two 
years  with  his  pride,  at  last  felt  compelled  to  sacri- 
fice all  his  life-lonjj:  anticipations  of  a  soldier's  (jjlorious 

O  I.  O 

career.  Soon  after,  the  "hivah-ous  Mcllee,  who  had 
won  two  brevets  and  the  admiration  of  the  whole 


1{UI(j.-(ji:n'kkai.  .foskimi  a.  swift. 


185 


,'inny  in  the  c';mii)aiu'ii    of   1814,  inortififd   tliat  ]iis 

talents  and  services  were  deemed  iiifericn'  t<)  those  of 

a   foreign   engineer,  also    resigned    liis   eonimission. 

Major  Totten,  subsecjuently  acknowledged  to  liave 

had  few  rivals  in  his  ])rofession,  would  havef(>llowed 

suite  had  he  possessed  the  means  of  living  in  civil 

life.      Other  officers  of  engineers  were  ready  to  do 

likewise,  foi-  their  esprit  <le  corps  was  gone.       Was 

it  then  generous  in   our  government  so  cruelly  to 

wound  the  self-resj)ect  of  these  able  and  <listinguished 

native  engineei's,  either  of  whom,  in  character  an<l 

talents,  was  the  proud  peer  of  the  iniporte<l  foreigner, 

as  their  past  and  succeeding  reciu'ds  amply  testitiedi 

Resides,  was  it  go(Ml  j)olicy  to  take  fr«»m  the  Bourbon 

armv  one  permittecl    by  his  sovereiirn   to  enter  our 

service,  not  from  love  to  us,  but  rather  that  he  might 

l)lan   defenses    against    England,   then    deemed    the 

common  foe  of  both  America  and  France;  an<l  was  it 

statesmanship  to  introduce  a  Grecian  horse  within 

our  Ti'ojan  walls,  ])erha[)s  in  time  to  be  turned  against 

us^     It  is  a  well-known  historical  fact  that  this  same 

Assistant  Engineer  carried  abroad  the  secrets  of  our 

coast  defense,  and  became,  in  18.*U,  after  the  fall  of 

the    Bourbons,    the    Aide-de-Cam[)    of    King    Louis 

Phillipe,  and  five  years  later  his  Minister  of  War. 

Can  any  one  doubt,   had  we  unfortunately,  at  this 

time,  been  engaged  in  hostilities  with  France,  what 

would  have  been  the  course  (»f  action  of  lier  diief  of 

the  I)e])aitment  of  War  { 

Bernard  was  doubtless  an  officer  of  much  scientific 
ability,  high  military  attainments,  varied  professional 
experience,  and  having  been  a  favorit*^  engineer  ol:* 


m 


I'li 


1S() 


KASTKIJN    «  AMI'AKiNs    oK    isl:{. 


Lis 


the  ufreatest  soldier  of  the  sige,  ii^ave  imu-Ii  wciniit  to 
the  (U^liberatioiis  of  tlie  l^oanl  of  KiiiLiineei's,  and 
matei'ially  aidiul  in  the  ('stal)lisliinent  of  oui"  national 
policy  of  coast  (U'fense,  ])y  j)ennan<*nt    foititications. 


lit 


e  was  also  pi'oniinent  in  inauuiiratin!;:  sudi  wor 


as  the  Delawaie  Breakwater,  Chesajieake  and  Ohio 
(^anal,  and  othei'  of  our  important  intei-nal  improve- 
ments. Rut,  with  all  his  acc<>mplishments  as  an 
eiiirineer  and  iivntleman.  Hernar«l,  in  tlie  opinion  of 
Mclvee,  the  bright  particulai-  star  of  our  \\'ar  of 
1812-15,  was  "colddiearted,  n»»t  a  man  of  genius, 
Imt  s]»ecially  suited  for  administrative  duties." 

Swift,  the  day  after  his  re>iii-nation,  accepted  the 
Surveyorship  of  the    l*oit  of  Xew  York,  not   fioni 


cUoice 


Init 


as  a  means  of  livin<j,' 


N 


ecess 


itv   k 


new 


no  law;  ])ut  how  ualling  it  must  liave  been  to  his 
proud  spirit  thus  to  ti-ansfei*  his  honored  name  from 
the  Ainiv  Henister  to  the  head  of  a  Molasses  C'ask. 
However,  he  continued  his  connection  with  the  Hoard 
<>f  Kngineers  till  near  the  end  of  Februai-y  following. 
As  a  civil  engineer,  he  was  soon  after  «'ngage(l  on 
various  imjxn'tant  projects,  being,  in  l.sl«.>,  consulted 
upon  the  feasibility  of  banking  and  draining  the 
Newark  Flats;  in  1820,  appointed  by  the  Legislatuic 
of  New  Jersey  to  su]»erintend  the  plan  to  o[>en  the 
Morris  Canal  im[»i()vement,  in  which  he  held  a  lai'ge 
interest  foi'  many  years;  in  1h22,  as  one  of  three 
Connuissioners  to  regulate  the  streets  and  diainage 
of  the  eastern  ])ai't  of  the  City  of  X»*\\  York;  the 
same  yeai*  to  ex])lore  a  j)racticable  route  for  a  canal 
and     inclined     [tlanes    ])etween     Kaston,     Pa.,    and 


N 


ewai 


k,    N.  J.;  and,   in    1Sl>.~), 


as  a  Commissioner 


m{i(j.-({KNKi!.M.  .losKi'ii  <;.  swirr. 


ih; 


to  cxuiiiiiie'  tin'  Hnuix  and  C'rotoii  Rivers,  to  test 
tli^'ir  (•aj)acity  to  suj)j)ly  New  York  City  with  an 
abundance  (►!'  pniv  water. 

Besides  these  various  i»i-ofessionaI  eniratrt^nients. 


b"r>' 


lie  found  time  to  make  ehil)orate  reports  u[)on  the 
duties  of  liis  office ;  in  1820,  to  be  President  of  tlie 
Ilanihd  and  llay(bi,  niero^ed,  lH2'.i,  into  tlie  Pliil- 
liarmonic  Society,  of  wliicli  he  was  elected  Vice- 
President;  in  iHiT),  besides  belnji;  a  Director  of  the 
Pulton  Hank,  to  su[)erinten(l  the  manaijrt'ment  of  the 
"National  Advocate"  news[)aper ;  and,  in  1X25-6, 
to  become  an  Aldeiinan  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn. 

Unfortunately  his  otiice  <luties  and  numeious 
outside  avocations  did  n(>t  so  entirely  absorb  him  as 
to  ju'event  his  venturinn'  ujton  the  (piicksands 
of  Wall  Street,  where,  with  Henry  Pckford,  Mat- 
thew L.  Davis,  and  others,  he  ])ecame  connected 
with  a  Life  and  Trust  Insurance  (\)mi»any,  of  which 
he  was  electe<l  \'ice-President  in  IS^T).  Ilavinjir 
iin]>li<-it  faith  in  the  intei^rity  of  Kckfoi'd,  who  se- 
cretly used   the  bonds  of  the  ('om|tany  for  hia  own 


M 


)eculations,  what  was  Swift's  astonishment,  in  Julv 


182(5,  upon  i-eceivinijr  a  lettei'  from  the  fam<ms  ship 
buihlei',  announcinu  that  the  Life  aiui  Trust  Com- 
|)any  c(»ul<l  not  meet  its  oblii^ations,  and  the  next 
day  to  be  served  with  a  notice  fVom  the  District 
Attorney  that  the  whole  Company  was  indicted  for 


defraud   th 


tate. 


tl 


le  oi 


a  consi)iracv  to  defraud 
ti'ial  the  first  (piestion  was  whether  a  company, 
issuinjj^  l)onds,  and  failinn*  to  redeem  tliem  on  de- 
mand, could  be  deemed  i^uiity  of  conspiracy  or  fraud, 
uj»on  which  the  jury  <1isagreed,  eiglit   to  four.     Tlie 


;^ 


188 


KASTKKN    CAMI'AKiNS    OF    lSi:t. 


Court  tlieii  decided  that  tlic  trial  of  Swift,  Vice- 
Pi'esident  of  the  Coinj^any,  should  !«'  scjuirjitc  froui 
tluit  of  the  otliei'H.  Tlie  testiniouy  iu  Swift's  ease 
was  l)rief  and  siui|)le,  liis  defense  heiuu^  in  tliese  few 
words  of  conscious  innocence  :  "  I  know  myself  not 
to  have  been  guilty  of  any  fi'aud  or  of  any  desio;n 
to  defraud,  and  if  tliis  jury  can  find  me  guilty  on 
tlie  evidence,  I  shall  silently  submit  as  a  juuiish- 
ment  for  my  credulity."  Tlie  jury  in  a  few  minutes 
returned  with  a  verdict  of  "•  JVot  gxiltif,  hut  iK'i'xe- 
cntedy  The  latter  addition  the  Judge''^'  refused  to 
receive,  when  the  verdict  of  ^^  2\^of  ffi/i/f//'"  was  alone 
rendered;  whcreu])on  a  cry  of  a))|)robation  I'ang 
through  the  crowded  audience,  and  IVtei'  A.  Jay 
the  adverse  counsel,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  went  up 
to  Swift,  exclaiming:  "This  is  a  righteous  verdict, 
and  I  am  thankful  for  youi'  acquittal."  Subseijueutly 
the  indictment  came  before  the  Su[)reme  Court, 
which  pi'onounced  the  whole  ])roceedings  illegal. 

I*ending  these  trials,  Pivsident  John  (^)uincy 
Adams  assunvl  Swift's  fViends  that,  if  he  should  be 
acquitted,  he  would  I'enominate  him  for  the  Survey- 
orshi[),  but  when  the  time  came,  the  [U'omise  was  not 
fulfilled.  Mr.  Adams,  pei'haj)s,  remenil)ei'ed  that 
Swift  had  written  a  pamphlet  advocating  the  elec- 
tion of  John  C.  Calhoun — his  rival  candidate  for 
President;  besides,  Swift,  inadvertently,  had  failed, 
when  [)residing  at  a  public  dimu'i-,  to  propose  the 
health  of  the  President — two  unj)ai'donable  offenses 

*  Judge  Ogden  FIdwards.  March  20,  I81'.»,  declared  in  tlio  presence  of 
C.  H.  Hall  and  Henry  Weston,  that  Ids  conviction  was  that  Swift's  iionor 
was  not  inipuj^ned  by  tlio  testimony  given  at  tiiat  trial. 


HUIO.-{iK.NKUAL    JOSKI'II    C5.    SWII<T. 


1SJ> 


ill  tlie  eves  (»f  Mr.  Adams,  not  ivpiited  to  liave  iiiiicli 
of  tile  (/liristiuii  virtue  of  forui-iveness,  us  iiiav  l)e 
seen  bv  wlioever  reads  )ds  "Diarv,"  in  wliieli,  of  tlie 
])roiidest  iiaiiie  of  his  own  Massaeliusetts,  lie  says: 
"Such  is  human  nature  in  the  gi^-aiitic  intellect,  the 
envious  teni[)er,  the  I'ancorous  ambition,  and  the 
rotten  heart  of  Daniel  Webster." 

Giving  up  all  his  property  in  l^rooklyn  and  New 
York  (now  worth  millions),  to  li(piidate  obligations 
of  the  Life  and  Trust  Coiiij)aiiy,  Swift,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  1827,  found  himself  without  the  means 
to  support  his  large  family.  In  the  great  City 
of  New  York,  whose  archives  recorded  him  "its 
Benefactor,"  he  could  tiiid  no  occupation,  for  his 
misfortunes  had  the  usual  effect  of  depriving  him  of 
influence  as  well  as  of  property.  Under  these  un- 
toward circumstances  he  decided  to  move  to  a  small 
farm  belonu:iii<ii:  to  his  wife,  in  Haywood  Countv  in 
Tennessee,  where  he  bt'gaii  cotton  })laiitiiig,  ami 
built  himself  a  log  cabin,  with  only  one  room,  which 
had  to  serve  for  parlor,  library,  chamber,  and  dining 
apartment.  Finding  the  title  to  this  plantation  de- 
fective, and  his  children  suffering  from  the  climate. 
Swift,  in  November,  returne<l  to  New  ^'ork,  and 
the  following  year  engaged  in  civil  engineering, 
taking  charge  of  the  Baltimore  and  Susquehanna 
Railroad  in  Maryland. 

()ntlie4tli  of  March,  lS2t),  he  visited  AVashington 
to  witness  the  inauguration  of  the  new  Bresident, 
when  he  so  connneiided  himself  to  (leneral  Jackson 
that  he  was  a[)pointed  to  superintend  the  Harbor  Iiii- 
[H'ovements  on  Lake  Ontario,  a  position   he  held  for 


1:1 


ill 


'    M 


•Ifl 


ItU) 


KASTKUV    ("AMI'Af<;NS    ol'    ISl.'l. 


m 


sixteen  years,  durinti;  wliicli  time  Lis  skill, /ejil,  inteir- 
ritv  mikI  wntclifuliiess  fully  jiistitied  the  President's 
sjiij^neity  and  judunient  in  seleetini;  liini  to  jterforni 
these  inipoi-tant  duties,  under  the  same  depaitnient, 
<>ver  whieli,  for  yeais,  he  had  so  al)ly  |)resi<U^d  as 
CMiief  KuLrineei-. 

With  the  authoi'ity  of  the  Secretary  of  War, 
while  the  Lake  works  were  sus|)en<led,  in  the  winter 
of  1H29,  Swift  took  e]iaru:e  of  the  ('(»nstruetion  of  a 
railroad  from  New  Orleans  to  Lake  Pontehartrain, 
five  miles  Ion*;,  throui^h  u  dense  swamj)  eonsidered 
im])assal)le,  and  whieh  coidd  be  neithei*  drained  nor 
|)iled.  This  was  one  of  the  pioneer  railroads  of  the 
Soutli,  and  it  is  believed  tlie  fii'st  in  Anieriea  U]>on 
which  iron  edij^e-rails  were  use<l.  Its  cross-ties  and 
strinijers  were  of  red  ce(h*ir  cut  in  the  swamp,  and  it 
was  l)allasted  with  "fossil  shells  of  tlie  mounds," 
since  so  successfully  a]>plied  to  form  the  famous 
"Shell  Koad  "  to  the  Lake.  It  was  on  this  struct- 
ure, befoi'e  the  iron  rails  were  ])ut  down,  that  the 
Hon.  Heiu'v  Clay,  the  ujreat  cham[)ion  of  intei-nal 
imjtrovements,   took   his  first   railroad  ride  ui)on  an 


11 
impi'ovised  ]>latform  car,  ju-opelled  by  six  men  usini;; 

iron-shod  setting-poles. 

Swift,  in  IS<V2,  succeeded  Benjamin  Wright  as 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  New  York  and  Harlem  Rail- 
road ;  but,  finding  his  admiiiistration  of  its  concerns 
interfered  with  by  tin-  Board  of  Directors,  he  re- 
siirned  the  next  yeai'. 

Hobart  College,  at  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  which  was 
now  Swift's  ])lace  of  residence,  elected  him  Professoi* 
of   Engineeriuij  and  Statistics.     Th(Miu:h  he  «leclined 


'r> 


IMMii.-CiKNKIJAF.    .loSKIMI    (i.    SWIIT. 


11)1 


tliiM  honor,  he  accepted  the  nieiiil)ershi|),  tendered  to 
liini,  of  the  Society  <>t"  Statistics,  Paris,  France.  In 
statistical  and  educational  matters,  lie  took  nuicli 
interest.  In  lS;i.'5  he  was  requested  hy  Bishop  W'ain- 
wriuht  and  otliers  to  i)resent  liis  views  of  liow  far 
tlie  West  Point  syst<'ni  ()f  discij)line  and  instruction 
could  l)e  adai)ted  to  a  University  to  ])e  estal)lishe(l 
in  the  CUty  of  New  York  ;  in  IN.'U  lie  ])i'oposed  a 
plan  to  (irovernor  Marcy,  for  Normal  Schools  in  each 
Senatorial  district  of  tlie  State  of  New  ^'ork  ;  and 
it  was  throu^di  his  advice  that  tlie  Hon.  Townsend 
Ilai'i'is  secured  the  sei'vices  (►f  Professor  Horace 
\\  ebster  as  Su[>erintendent  of  the  Free  Academy 
(now  College  of  the  City  of  New  York). 

In  18.'};")  occurred  the  "  (treat  Fire  "in  and  near 
AN'all  Street,  New  York,  when,  by  request  of  the 
Mayoi',  Swift,  at  great  pei'sonal  risk,  took  charge  of 
the  blowing  U[)  of  buildings,  to  ai'rest  the  progress 
of  the  Hames;  thus  saving  millions  of  property 
w  ithout  doing  any  damage  to  neighboring  houses. 
For  a  like  service  at  (Quebec,  two  years  later,  a  young 
otticer  of  British  Engineers  was  knighted. 

Though  the  su])ervision  of  the  lake  harbors  con- 
tinued to  occuju'  much  of  Swift's  time,  he  found 
o|)portunities,  during  the  suspension  of  these  works 
foi-  want  of  ai»i)ropriations,  to  serve  as  projecting, 
directing  or  consulting  engineer  of  numerous  pri- 
vate, company,  city,  state  and  national  im])rovements, 
jM'ominent  among  which  were  the  Hudson  River 
Railroad  ;  the  Sodus  Canal,  to  connect  the  Sus(pie- 
hanna  River  with  Lake  Ontario  ;  the  establishing  of 
the  Watei-  Front  of  Brooklvn  City;  and  his  pi-oiect 


' 


m 


m%m 


\\)'2 


KASTKIIN    «  AMI'AICXS    OJ'    ISKl. 


;' 


for  M  Naval  Depot  at  the  ln-ad  of  the  Harlem  Hiver, 
wliich  should  he  ojten  at  all  times,  )x)th  to  tlie  Souinl 
and  tlie  Sandy  Hook  exits. 

DuriiiL?  this  same  jieriod  he  dei'liiied  tlie  (»t!'er  of 
Pi'esident  Houston,  in  1S;U,  to  become  a  meml)er  of 
liis  Texas  (  ahinet  ;  in  1<S4(>,  he  ret'nscd  the  DtMiio. 
eratic  nomination  For  Mayor  of  tlie  City  of  New 
York  ;  and  1841,  during  our  northern  border  dis- 
turl)ances,  was  sent  by  President  Harrison  on  an 
embassy  of  peace  to  tlie  (lovernors  of  Canada,  Xova 
Scotia,  and  New  liiunswick,  <»f  which  lie  ac(|uitted 
himself  to  the  ureat  satisfaction  of  the  ijovernment. 

When  his  services  on  Lake  Ontario  terminated, 
lie  was  ottered  the  iMiief  Clerkship  of  the  War  De- 
partment;  an<l,  in  1<S4'.>,  the  j)osition  »)f  Commis- 
sioner of  I^atents  was  tendered  to  him.  Owing  to 
the  ex[)ense  of  living  in  Washington,  he  declined 
l)oth  places. 

Swift  alwaAs  interested   himself    in    the  passinor 

•  I-  O 

events  and  movements  of  the  day — hence  we  see  him 
in  1824,  presiding  over  a  meeting  in  behalf  of  the 
o[)[)ressed  (Ireeks;  in  IS.'}."),  the  \'ice-President  of  a 
ConveiitiiHi  to  promote  Internal  Im[)ro\enients  and 
Domestic  ^lanufactures ;  and  during  the  slavei'v 
agitation  of  1850,  he  pi'esided  over  a  meeting  to 
sii[)port  Clay''s  Conii)romise  Resolutions;  yet,  when 
Southern  aij^icression  so  stronu'lv  manifested  itself 
ten  years  later,  he  threw  the  whole  weight  of  his 
influence  against  Secession. 

As  a  (xraduate  of  the  Militarv  Academy,  lie  felt 
that  his  services  were  always  due  to  his  country  in 


lier  1 


lour  ot  i)eri 


f 


P 


il— 1 


lence,  in 


18.S-J,  he  ottered,  with 


intn;.-<ii:NKiJAr<  .rosKPir  a.  swiiT. 


103 


acomnumd  of  1,"J(M>  youiii^  \<*\\  Voi'kcrs,  to  aid  in  tlw 
su|tj)r(*ssi(>ii  of  South  ('arolinji's  thrcatciu'd  nulliti- 
catioii ;  ill  l.s.'W;,  with  a  Itrinadc  of  Sea  FtMu-iMcs, 
was  ivady  to  i;uard  our  harbors  ai^aiiist  tlie  antic- 
ipated hostilities  of  (ireat  liritain  ;  in  184(5,  was 
anxious  to  take  tlie  tieUl  in  tlie  Mexican  War; 
aiul,  in  18('»1,  tlioiiicli  veri^iiiii"  on  four  score  years, 
lie  would,  if  permitted,  have  drawn  Ids  sword  in 
defense  of  the  Inion. 

ThoUixh  alwavs  readv  for  war  a<;ainst  liis  coun- 
try's  foes,  lie  was  also  a  Soldier  of  the  (^ross,  being 
a  stauncli  sup[)orter  of  tlie  i';;j)iscopal  C'hurcli,  in 
wliich  he  held  several  lay  otlices,  and  was  prominent 
as  a  delci^ate  to  several  (xeiieral  Conventions. 

Swift,  thouiih  not  what  miuht  l>e  called  a  stu- 
dent, was  well  read,  and  a  careful  ol)server;  could 
speak  tiueiitly,  l)ut  laid  no  claims  to  oratory  ;  and 
wrote  tersely  and  with  much  force.  Besides  his 
"  Diary,"  .niving  the  prominent  events  of  his  life, 
from  boyhood    till  lie  had   reached  over  four  score 

« 

vears,  he   wrote  an  account  of  President  Monroe's 

• 

Northern  Tour  in  l-SlT,  and  of  liis  own  journey 
to  Euro})e  ill  1851  ;  pre[)ared  several  brief  biogra- 
[)liies  of  deceased  friends ;  and  sometimes  indulged 
in  essays  and  lectures  on  literary,  military  and  scieii- 
title  subjects.  His  last  recorded  utterance  \vas  for 
the  safe  delivery  and  future  prosperity  of  his  coun-. 
tr> ,  just  emerging  from  the  horrors  of  four  years  of 
civil  war. 

Swift,  in  180."),  married  Louisa,  the  daughter  of 
(/a))taiii  James  Walker,  of  AVilmington,  X.  C, 
with  whom   he  passed  over  iifty  years  of  wedded 


104 


KASTKKN    CAMI'AKiNS    OK    lK|;i. 


I)liss  ill  liis  own  clieerful  mikI  Imjn^'  lioine, 
encircled  witli  n  lai'ire  r.'iniilx of  intclliu'ciit  sons  ainl 
accomplished  <1auLi;Uters.  Smiounded  u  itli  liis  Pen- 
ates Jit  liis  fireside,  lie  was  the  most  charmini;  and 
interestini:;  of  conij)anions,  for  tluM-e,  in  conversation, 
he  Monred  out  the  hoarded  stores  of  lonij  real's  of 
silent  tlioiiijht,  close  observation  and  clear  analyses 
of  strikinii;  events,  his  memory  Ix'ini;  marvellous, 
and  he  haviiiLf  seen  the  staire  of  life  with  all  its 
shiftiiiuf  scenes.  Ilis  winniiiin'  ways,  courtly  ])olite- 
ness  and  lively  sympathies  always  insured  him  a 
cordial  i^reetiiii""  and  a  warm  lodLiement  in  the  hearts 
of  the  yomiii;,  for  whom  he  ha<l  a  paternal  attacli- 
nu'iit,  and  to  whom  he  was  ever  a  wise  coiinsellnr 
and  faithful  friend. 


t 


'•Of  manners  gentle,  of  affection  mild; 
In  wit  a  man,  simplicity  a  child." 

Soon  after  Swift  left  the  army,  the  Corps  of  En- 
o;ineers,  to  show  their  respect  and  affection  for  their 
late  Chief,  retpiested  him  to  sit  to  Sully  for  liis  like- 
ness, now  huuir  in  the  library  of  the  Militai'v  Acad- 
emy  at  West  Point— the  fit  depository  of  the  ])or- 
trait  of  its  first  (rraduate,  second  Siipei'intendent, 
and  sul)se(iuent  rnspector.  Whoever  looks  upon 
that  am]>le  luow  can  I'ead  of  the  vii::or(ms  brain 
within;  whoever  peers  into  those  benii^niant  eyes 
feels  there  was  a  u'cnerous  heart  below;  and  who- 
ever watches  those  expi'essive  lips,  sees  lioverin^' 
there  only  utterances  of  [)atriotisiii,  honor,  and  manly 
pride.  When  the  writer  first  knew  him,  a<i;e  had 
silvered  oVr  his  flowing  locks,  and  his  almost  apos- 


lUMfS.-CKNKK  \I,    .loSKI'II    (J.    SWlir. 


\K) 


nii; 
\ 

Mil 

;)S- 


tollc  <'(>iint<Mi}in('<'  wore  n  saintly  air,  iiiiiiii'liiiu'  ten- 
derness, charity,  and  all  the  sweet  offices  of  hive 
and  dnty. 

"  A  man  li(>  scoiiiM  of  cliccifiil  yt'slonln.vs, 
Anil  coiillilcnl  to-niorrows;  with  ii  fact' 
Not  worlilly-niindi'd,  for  it  l)oi<'  too  niucli 
Of  nature's  impress  — ^^aicty  and  health, 
Freedom  and  hope;  l)ut  keen  withal,  and  shrewd, 
Ills  ^xraeefiil  ijestmes,  and  his  tones  of  voice 
Were  all  vivaeions  as  his  mi«'n  and  looks." 

At  tlie  uTeen  (»ld  auc  <»f  (i^/ffftf-firo.  Swift,  snr- 
ronndiMl  with  liis  fond  family  and  .-.ttached  friends, 
died  .Itdy  lM,  isC,.'),  at  (iciieva,  X.  V.— fnll  of 
years;  fnll  <»f  honors;  faculties  Itiiuht  and  affec- 
tions warn)  to  the  last;  nincdi  lani<'nt<'<l  ])y  tiie  pub- 
lic; and  sincerely  mourned  l>v  a  wide  circle  of 
bereaved  relatives. 

(ieneral  ('ullinn,the  Superintendent  of  theUnited 
States  Militaiy  Academy,  in  directiniT,  .Inly  .'{<>, 
iSliT),  hoiiois  to  be  jtaid  to  Swift's  memory,  after 
briefly  recoiintini>;  his  varied  sei'vices,  conclnch's  Ins 
order  as  follows ; 

"Born  at  the  ch)se  of  the  American  IJevolntion, 
and  dyinu"  at  the  termination  of  the  American  Re- 
bellion, (ieneral  Swift  lived  throu«;h  the  most 
momentous  period  of  histor\-,  and  was  Itimself  a 
])rominent  actor  in  tlie  gi-and  drama  of  our  national 
existence.  His  military  career  beuan  Avitli  that  of 
the  Military  Aca<lemy,  which  he  fostered  in  its 
feeble  infancy  ;  and  he  lived  to  see,  in  its  developed 
maturity,  the  sons  of  his  cliei'ished  Alma  Mater 
directiuiT  tlie  liijjfh  destinies  of  his  country  on  victo- 
rious fields  in  Canachi,   Florida,  Mexico,  an<l   witliin 


196 


KASTKRN    OAMPAIGXS    OF    \H\:\ 


tlie  wide  (lonuiiu  of  our  Soutlieni  border.  He  now 
cjdiMly  sleeps,  utter  a  loiii!"  jind  useful  life  of  more 
tli.'Mi  four-seore  years,  leavin<j:  this  woi'ld  in  the  bliss- 
ful  couseiousness  that  he  and  his  brother  u^raduates 
of  this  Institution  have  ably  perfoiiued  their  allotted 
part  in  su])duin<>;  the  savage  foe,  in  con(|uering  for- 
eign enemies,  and  crushing  treason  in  our  midst, 
and  tliat  he  has  left  beliind  a  rescenerated  fatherland 
of  (file  2)eople,  with  l)ut  (>>if  end)lem  of  nationality, 
sacred  to  liberty,  and  the  trium])h  of  the  best  gov- 
ermnent  on  earth. 

"Tlie  pei'sonal  excellence  of  General  Swift  can 
be  only  ap|»reciated  by  those  who  knew  and  loved 
him,  and  they  were  (t//  whom  lie  met  on  his  long 
journey  of  life,  for  he  had  no  enemies  l>ut  his 
country's.  Amiable  and  sincere,  spotless  in  integ- 
rity, staunch  in  friendshiji,  liberal  in  charity,  Gen- 
eral Swift  was  a  model  gentleman,  a  true  patriot, 
and  a  Christian  soldier,  Avorthy  of  the  imitation  of 
all  who,  like  him,  v»ould  live  honored  and  revered, 
and  die  universally  regi'etted. 

"  As  an  ap[)ropriate  tribute  of  respect  from  the 
Military  Academy  to  his  memory,  there  will  be 
fii'ed,  under  the  direction  of  the  Connnandant  of 
(\'idets,  eleven  minute  guns,  commencing  at  meridian, 
to-morrow,  and  the  national  flag  will  be  displayed  at 
half-statf  from  the  same  lioui'  until  sunset." 


ji 


(Ml 

iu\ 

fi(| 

till 

mi 

tn 

<-iii| 

si(i 


X 


CHAPTER  FIFTH. 

CAMPAIGN  OF  18U  ; 

WITH     A     lUOGRAPIIUAL    SKET<II     OF 

COLONEL  WILLIAM  McREE. 


.11^- 


"  PEHSKVERAXrE,"says  Sli;iks])eaiv, "keeps  IIonok 
l>i'iLi:lit ;"  l)ut  our  i^oveninient's  lioiior,  certaiiily,  was 
not  iimcli  l)riLi'liteiie(l  l)y  its  perse veiaiu-e  in  false 
stratei!;y  after  two  years  of  aimless  efforts  without 
tanij^ihle  results.  Our  military  policy,  instead  of 
Ix'ing-  active  and  aggressive  within  the  enemy's  ter- 
ritory, became  eminently  defensive  in  repelling  jwtty 
J  (artisan  attacks,  making  the  record  of  the  past,  to 
continue  our  (piotation,  "hang,  (piite  out  of  fashion, 
like  a  rusty  nail  in  monumental  mockery."  The 
en<'my,  it  was  true,  was  superior  in  the  organizati<Mi 
and  discipline  of  liis  forces;  had  more  of  the  prac- 
tice, prestige  and  paraphernalia  of  war;  understood 
the  value  of  time  in  making  assaults  by  prom]»t 
movements;  and,  above  all,  had  the  great  advan- 
tage of  occu])ying  the  concave  side  of  the  frontier 
and  lienee,  generally,  ha<l  shoi-ter  lines  of  operation 
to  reacli  any  i)oint  u))on  it  than  we  on  the  convex 
side  of  its  circumference.  These  disadvantages  some- 
what palliate,  but  certainly  do  n<)t  justify  our  persist- 
ence in  error. 

lay 


200 


CAMPAIGX   OF    1814. 


n 


The  (lis.'istroiis  Cuiiipaii^iis  of  1812  ami  181. S, 
unfortnii.'itely,  had  not  convinced  na  tliat  our  gladi- 
atorial trident,  of  three  isolated  columns  on  a  thou- 
sand miles  of  frontier,  scarcely  wounded  the  enemy  ; 
for,  again  in  1814,  we  renewed  our  triple  assaults 
upon  Canada.  Three  corps  wei'e  anew  to  be  lannclied 
au:ainst  the  enemy ;  the  Kii^ht,  under  ^lajor-General 
Izard,  commanding  on  Lake  C'hamplain,  was  to  cut 
the  connection  on  the  St.  Lawrence  between  Mont- 
real and  Kingston;  the  Centre,  commanded  by 
Major-General  Brown,  ^vas  to  assemble  on  the  Niag- 
ara fi'ontier  and  seize  the  Canada  IVninsula  between 
Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie;  while  the  Left,  under  Col- 
onel Croghan  assisted  by  the  navy,  should  proceed 
against  the  British  on  the  Upj)er  I^akes  to  attem[)t 
the  recovery  of  Mackinaw  and  St.  Josephs,  and  the 
destruction  of  Matchadach,  a  newly-established  fur 
trading  post  supposed  to  be  near  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Lake  Huron. 

Li  our  secoud  chapter  we  have  sufficiently  de- 
tailed the  operations  of  the  Right  column  to  render 
unnecessary  any  further  remark  upon  it.  The  Left 
colunni,  of  about  1,000  men,  July  12th,  moved  from 
Fort  Gratiot;  on  the  20th,  reached  St.  Joseph's, 
which  was  burned  after  having  been  abandoned  by 
the  enemy  ;  on  the  21st,  Holmes'  detachment  de- 
stroyed a  Biitish  factory  at  St.  Mary's;  on  the  2Gth, 
Croii'han  arrived  before  Mackinaw,  findiiii'-  the  work 
too  formidable  to  be  stormed  and  too  high  to  be 
damaged  by  the  navy's  guns  ;  on  the  4th  of  August, 
our  land  force  attem[)te(l  an  attack  from  a  height  in 
rear  of  the  fort,  which  resulted  in  a  sharp  conflict, 


u 


(KLONKL     WILLIAM     Mc|{i:i-: 


201 


cliiefly  with  riidi.ius,  in  ;i  tliick  wood  and  tlie  retreat 
of  our  troops;  oii  Sept.  1  .'Uli,  a  (letaclinieiit,  under 
Captain  Gratiot  of  tlie  engineers,  destr<»yed  tlie 
enemy's  sup[)lies,  for  six  niontlis,  on  the  Xatewasaga 
river;  and,  finally,  ('r<»uhaii  returned  to  Detroit,  late 
in  August,  aftei-  a  six  weeks'  disastrous  ex})edition, 
of  no  consecpience  even  had  it  heen  successful. 

Having  disposed  of  the  Eight  and  Left  columns, 
we  will  now  confine  ourselves  to  that  of  the  Centre, 
which  was  soon  destined  to  confront  an  ai'iiiy  of 
British  veterans,  inured  to  wai-,  which  tlie  jmcifica- 
tion  of  Kurope  upon  Xapoleon's  exile  to  Klha  ha<l 
released.  Early  in  May  the  advance  of  these  re-en- 
forcements hegaii  to  arrive  in  (^niada,  and,  by  tlie 
oj>eiiing  of  tlie  cam])aign  on  the  Niagai'a,  several  of 
them  and  other  reginuMits  relieved  from  duty  in  the 
lower  pr<>vinces,  wei'e  ia])idly  moving  towards  the 
threatened  frontier. 

Major-dreneral  .lacoh  Brown,  in  February,  ha<l 
marched  a  division  of  Wilkinson's  army  from  its 
winter  (|uarters  at  French  Mills  to  Sackett's  Harbor. 
Mistaking  the  object  of  the  government's  oi'deis, 
received  here,  which  conteiii] dated  a  movement  on 
Kingston  as  the  nnilii  ohjrct,  and  that  towards  the 
Niagara  a  f<  tnf,  he,  in  doubt,  oscillated  east  and 
west  till  the  end  of  .luiie,  finally  making  his  liead- 
(piai'ters  at  Hutfalo,  where  his  subordinate — Brig.- 
(ieneral  ^^'inHeld  Scott — ha<l  established  a  camp  of 
instruction.  In  the  tliii-ty  yeai's,  since  the  days  of 
the  llevolutioii,  «»ur  tr(»ops  had  never  undei-goiie  a 
more  thorough  and  ethcient  drill  than  was  here  [)iac- 
ticed  to  <leveloj>  their  full   Hghting  powers,  and  dis- 


m 


•20 -J 


CAMI'.\I<;\    (»!••    ISll. 


(•il>liii('  tliciii  to  rival  sturdy  i-cu'iilars.  Hy  the  tii'st 
of  July,  Hrowii  found  liiuisclf  at  the  head  oi  a  suf- 
ticient  force  to  invade  Canadji  and  earry  out  the 
government^  new  instructions,  which  were- — "to 
cross  the  river,  caj)ture  Fort  Ki'ie,  march  on  Chi])- 
pewa,  risk  a  cond)at,  menace  Fort  (ieorue,  and,  il' 
assured  of  tlie  ascendency  and  co-o])eration  of  the 
Meet,  to  sieze  and  foi'tify  Burlin<;'ton  llei<»hts,"  thus 
con([uerin<i;  tlie  Peninsuhi  and  cuttiiiLi"  the  enemy's 
conununication  between  l'j)j)er  and  Lower  Canada. 
The  force  assiirned  to  Brown  foi'  this  diiticult  task 
ccnisisted  of  Scott's  and  Kiplcy's  infantry-bi'iuades 
of  regulars  (to  each  of  which  was  attaclied  an  eth- 
cient  train  of  artillery  and  a  small  8(|uadron  of  cav- 
alry), and  Porter's  In-igade,  made  up  of  ."iOO  IVnn- 
svlvania  and  (UKi  New  York  volunteers,  w  ith  from 
five  to  six  lunidred  Indians.  The  aggi'egate  foi'ce 
was  about   .S,r)<)(>.     Of  this   uallant  armv  tlu'  Chief 


E 


'^niiineer  was   jViai<»i 


Mj 


Will 


lam 


Mel 


iee 


assis 


ted    1 


>\' 


tlie  brilliant  Brevet  Major  AV()o<l,  the  subject  of  our 
third  chapter. 

\\'iLLiAM  ^bKKK  was  born,  December  1  .'i,  ITS',  in 
Wilmington,  N.  ('.  His  father — ]\lajoi'  and  Bievet 
Colonel  (xi'ithth  .John  AlcRee — was  an  active  cavalry 
officer  of  the   Noi'th  Carolina   line,   in   the   Ke\-olu- 


tionarv    ^^ 


;ir 


an( 


1    li 


us  mother   was  a  dan 


o-ht 


er  <» 


f 


Doctor  Joliu  Fei'gus,  a  distinguished  physician  of 
Wilmington  who  was  of  Scottisli  descent,  had  ])een 
e(bicated  in  Fdinburgh,  and  subsecpiently  wus  a 
Surgeon  in  Braddock's  army. 

ColcMiel   Jonathan    \\  illiams.   Chief   i^ngineei'  of 
tlie  Army,    while    (»u   a    tour   of    inspection   of  the 


COLOXKL    WILLIAM    .M<  i{KK. 


208 


(It'fcnscs  <tf  Ca|)e  Fear  Rivei",  became  ae(|uaiiite(l 
witli  youiiii;  MeUee,  wliose  l)rii;'lit  intellect,  decision 
of  character,  and  tenacity  of  juirjiose  so  interested 
liiin  tliat  lie  secnred  his  appointment  as  a  Cadet, 
April  14,  180,'i,  to  the  Military  Academy.  Here  the 
youth  of  fifteen  displayed  an  ardent  and  iiKpiisitive 
mind,  a  fondness  for  science,  and  a  devotion  to  tlie 
study  of  the  militar\  art.  He  was  irraduated  from 
the  institution,  July  1,  LSO.'),  and  became  a  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  CV)rps  of  En^nneei's,  subseipiently 
beinsj:  ])ronioted  a  First  Lieutenant,  Oct.  150,  1S0(), 
Cajttain,  Feb.  28,  1  SOS,  and  Major,  July  81,  1812. 
I'ntil  the  beuinnini;'  of  this  campaii^'U,  lie  was  em- 
ployed upon  the  defenses  of  the  Carolina  coast,  par- 
ticularly at  Charleston;  from  Se]»t.  8(»,  1S12  to 
May  2."),  1  si  8  was  Chief  Fn^-ineei'  to  Generjd  Thomas 
Pinckney,  conuiiandinu'  the  Department  of  Georu^ia 
and  the  Carolinas  ;  in  1S18,  was  Chief  of  Artillery 
(conimandinLi"  four  conij»anies  and  the  seiii:;e-train ), 
under  Major-(Teneral  IIamj)ton,  whose  failure  at 
Chateauii'ay  was  rendered  nuich  less  disastrous  by 
the  ])rompt  and  energetic  acti<ni  of  the  younui;  engi- 
neer; in  the  tirst  part  of  1S14,  superintended  the 
defenses  of  Sackett's  Harboi-;  and,  at  the  early  age 
of  twenty-six,  became  the  Chief  Kngineer  of  Major- 
(xeneral  Hi'own's  army  on  the  Niagara. 

Fort  Frie  (nearly  opposite  Buffalo),  garrisoned 
with  170  lii-itisii  regulars,  was  the  first  point  to  be 
attacknl  to  ensure  a  safe  f(»oting  for  our  ai'my  on 
the  (\*inada  shoiv.  Hividing  his  scanty  trans])orta- 
tion  between  his  two  regnlar  bi-igades,  Brown, 
July  2d,  issued  his  orders  that  Scott's  should  pass  the 


204 


(AMIVVHiV    <>l"    ISll. 


m 


I' ' 


Xiaii'MiM  tliioiiirli  the  Black  Rock  l{a])i(ls,  aiwl 
U i pi ey's  cross  fVom  BiitValo;  the  foi'iiier  to  land  a 
mile  ])elo\v,  and  the  latter  a  nnle  above  the  fort. 
Scott,  proinj)tly  <d)eyin<T;,  reached  his  destination 
hefore  dawn  <»t'  the  .'id,  and  was  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  Brown,  with  his  staff,  the  eniiineei-s 
directing  the  debarkation  of  the  trooj)s.  lvi]>leyV 
movement  was  reluctantly  and  tardily  made,  with 
remonstrance  extendinji;  to  the  tenderinij;  of  his 
resignation ;  conse([iiently,  it  was  broad  daylight 
before  his  bi'igade  was  embarked.  Scott,  imme- 
<liately  upon  landing,  ])ushed  forward  Major  Jesup's 
battalion  of  light  troops  and  a  few  Indians,  which 
drove  in  the  enemy's  [)ickets,  and,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  engineers  who  had  l)een  I'econnoitring, 
invested  the  fort  withimt  waiting  for  Ri)»ley.  McHee 
and  AVood  now  lost  no  time  in  crossing  the  ord- 
nance, selecting  ])ositions  for  batteries,  and  mount- 
ing an  18-jwunder  on  Snake  Hill,  when  Brown  de- 
manded and  received  the  surrender  of  the  fort  from 
its  commander,  Major  Burns.  The  celebration  of  the 
anniversary  of  our  Inde])endence,  the  next  day,  was 
graced  with  its  entire  gai'rison  as  jtrisoners  of  war. 

Elated  with  his  good  foitune  and  knowing  the 
value  of  time,  Brown,  eai'ly  on  the  morning  of  July  4th, 
despite  Uii)ley's  desire  for  delay,  [»ushed  Scott's 
bi'iu:ade  and  Towson's  artillerv  d<>wn  the  Niajxara. 
For  sixteen  miles  his  march  was  a  continuous  skir- 
mish with  the  enemy,  till,  iinding  the  British 
strongly  intrenched  behind  the  Chippewa,  Scott 
called  in  his  light  troops,  and  encamped  for  the 
night   behind  Street's   Creek,  wheiv,  about  11  v.  m., 


(OJ.ONKl.    WILLIAM    MrUKK. 


205 


1m'  was  jiMiied  1>\  tlu'  Geiieral-in-CMiiefiind  all  of  his 
rciiiilai's.  It  was  an  anxious  iiio'lit,  fcn'  few  there 
had  everbeeii  eno-uu^ed  with  a  <leadlv  foe.  All,  how- 
cNcr,  had  couHdeiice  in  their  comniander,  and  in 
their  ow'ii  prowess,  for  constant  drill  and  discipline 
had  Vanished  feai"  from  theii'  thonu'hts. 

The  ii'loi'ious  and  aus|)icious  morn  of  .Tuly  5th, 
saw  the  hostile  ai'niies  confronting;  each  other,  the 
British  strongly  posted  behind  the  Chi])pewa,  and 
the  Americans  covered  by  Street's  Creek,  while,  be- 
tween, was  a  full  mile  of  level  ])lain,  Hanked  on  the 
»'ast  by  the  Xiagjira,  and  a  dense  forest  on  the  west. 
From  early  daw  n  desultory  firinu'  had  been  kept  up 
between  the  opposing  pickets,  which,  becoming  very 
annoying  to  our  left,  oui'  skii-niishers  fell  back  to 
di'aw  on  those  of  the  enemy;  while  (ieneral  Poi-ter, 
with  'M)0  rennsylvania  volunteers  and  about  400 
Indians,  was  ordered,  in  the  afternoon,  under  cover 
of  tlie  woods,  to  turn  the  light  troops  in  advance  of 
the  enemy's  right,  fall  u[)on  tluiv  rear  and  cut  tliem 
from  theii'  main  l)ody  massed  beyond  the  Chip[)ewa. 
In  executing  this  order,  Poi'ter  fell  in  with  a  Hritish 
outpost,  which  he  soon  routed,  and  was  actively 
pui'suing,  when,  in  debouching  fV(»m  the  woods,  lie 
encountered  the  entire  British  urmy  advancing  in 
order  of  battle  which  convei'ted  his  forward  move- 
ment into  a  disorderly  rout. 

Brown,  ever  on  the  alert,  (piickly  divined,  from 
the  rising  dust,  that  the  whole  of  liiall's  forces  were 
in  motion  to  crush  him.  Immediately  he  ordered 
Scott,  then  under  ai'ms  for  his  daily  drill,  to  lead 
his  l»rii:ade,  with  TowsoiTs  ai'tillei'v,  across  Street's 


i'^'^J 


•J(m; 


■Si  I 


CHIKPtWA 


pzn  [C3  BSB  puff-ittk 

i      :i      i'     i!      iA 

■  B'fl  I  t:i  sM.  ■'^ 

•  'Lj'  '■  • 

ixzM  Kzca  Daaa  ia9au*H> 
I     U     ti     !  i     ''" 


i:i:i 


-^OWy 


pohterVJ   (\    ?iB 


^AMERICANS  t*. 

<TREETi'HOr®^. 

•♦/^T-rcHlrtOflTy 

-BioDi:c.«6ATr. 


WITH 

REGULARS 


^ 


^P^  ©  iV  CAP,  TREATiii 

Rattle  yy\  \ 


I 


ms\ 


^ 


^laKaiiBBBHilMaiiiifiiriiTTTiiT' 


( 'i«'«'k  to  iiu'ot 
tlu'cnciiiN  ;;m(l 
Kiplcv  t<»  |H(»- 
<•('('<!  cautions- 
ly  tliioiigli  the 
woods  to 
tlnvjiten  tlu' 
Uritisli  lio-lit, 
mimI  thus  pro- 
duce a  divci-- 
sioii  ill  Scott's 
favor. 

Uiall  ad\  aiic- 
«'(!  ill  tlircc  col- 
imiiisjiis  front 
and  flanks  be- 
inu"  sn|ti>(ti'te(l 
1»\  I iii'lit troops, 
Indians,  and 
nine  ]»ieces  of 
artillery.  Af- 
tei'  an  lionr's 
furious  tiiilit- 
ini!;  along  the 
entire  front  of 
l)(>tli  armies, 
they  confront- 
ed each  other 
within  eiuhty 
jiaces.  The 
British  line 
was  ]»r<>l<en  in 


•IS 


I  •  •' 


r 
r 

H 


COl.oNKI,    WILLIAM     MiIJKK. 


207 


<«'\('i;il  places,  tliiis  «'.\|>(»siiiM'  Hjiiiks,  (tf  wliii'li  a<lvaii- 


t:i^"('  Nt'ittt   (|iiU'kly  avail«M|    liims* 


led    li 


•If.      M<-N 


fill  s  am 


I 


L»*av«Mi\V(>i'tirs  iviriiiuMits,  takiiiLj;  positions  <>hli([uely 
to  the  left  and  riulit  cxtrciiiiti^'s  of  the  ciieiiiy's front, 
delivered  tlieir  deadly  firew  itii  fatal  ett'ect,  while  Tow- 
son,  on  our  extreme  riu'ht,  poiired  in  his  murderous 
canister  and  shells  \\|ii(di  l>le\\  up  one  of  the  enemy's 
caissons.  Dniinii' these  oju'ratioiis  aloiiiz;  the  front, 
Major  .lesnp,  on  our  extreme  hd't,  h<»tly  pressed  by 
the  I^ritish  li^ht  screeneil  1>\  a  lo^-  fence.  a«lvance(l 
upon  its  flank  in  face  of  a  dea<lly  tire,  coolly   marcdi- 


inLi:  witli  arms  at  a  sii|)port,  an<l  then,  cliari;in<i;  with 
the  Itayonet,  routed  everytliiiiii;  before  him.  The 
enemy,  ])ressed  <»n  e\ery  side  and  cut  down  by  our 
unerrini^  marksmen,  l)roke  and  fled  in  uncontrollable 
disor«ler  to  tiie  slielter  of  their  C']ii[)pewa  intrench- 
ments. 

Thus  ende(l  this  u-lorious  victory,  fairly  won,  in 
which  tlie  American  reiiulars,  most  of  them  on  tlieir 
first  field  of  battle,  with  a  f(H'ce  not  over  two-thirds 
that  of  tlie  enemy,  overcame  tlie  picked  veterans  of 
liritain  ;  for  the  actual  combat  was  essentially  be- 
tween Scott's  sino;le  briij-ade  and  Hiall's  wliole  army. 
Our  "o'ray-jackets""  were  at  first  sup[)osed  by  tlie 
enemy,  who  was  soon  undeceived,  to  be  Buffalo 
militia.  The  British  officers  sul)se(|uently  remarked  : 
"  We  beo'an  to  doubt,  when  we  found  you  stood 
tirmly,  three  or  four  rounds;  and  when,  at  length, 
in  the  midst  of  our  hottest  blaze,  we  saw  you  'port 
arms,'  and  advance  Uj)on  us,  we  Avere  utterly  amazed. 
It  was  clear  enough  we  had  something  besides 
militiamen  to  deal  with."     (reneral   Riall,  thouti'h  he 


20S 


CAMI'AKiV    OK    ISll. 


liroiiglit  Up  the  Kiiii;'s  lieijiiiM'iil,  tin*  Uoyal  Scots, 
ami  his  best  troops,  in  his  otlicijil  (Icspiitcii  iuliiiits 
that,  iiotwitlistaiuliiiu;  their  iTMllMUtiy,  "  thry  sutV'ci'tMl 
MO  Hevercly  tliat  he  was  ol)liii(Ml  to  w  itlidi'jiw  tljeiii." 
Chippewa  was  a  crucial  test  of  i)luv*k  In'twccii 
Anglo-Saxons  aiul  Anglo-Americans,  (teneial  \\  il- 
kinson,  not  likely  to  ])e  partial  to  a  junioi-  who  had 
superseded  him,  justly  desci'ilx'd  this  ])attle  as  lieing 
an  "obstinate  contest,  fought  on  a  plain  an<l  in  direct 
order,  whose  simjdicity  presented  few  occasions  foi- 
<lis[»lay  of  tactical  skill ;  litei'ally  a  trial  of  strengtii 
and  courage,  breast  to  breast,  in  which  the  American 


arms  ti'iuiu[ 


ihed. 


Again   tlu'  brave,  pi-oud    Hi'it(tn 


had  found  the  same  soldiers  on  American  soil  as 
tlieir  ancestors  who  had  cai)tured  whole  armies  at 
Saratoga  and  ^'oi'ktowii. 

After  liiall  had  I'etreate* I  across  the  Chip[)ewa, 
Coh>nel  Wood  of  the  engineers  made  a  most  daring 
reconnoissance  U[)  to  its  right  )»ank.  Finding  sti'ong 
intrencliments  on  the  oj>[)osite  side  and  the  bridge 
over  the  i-iver  with  its  [)lauking  toi'u  u])an(l  c(»vered 
by  a  i('ti'-(li'-i>i)nf  battery,  Hi'own,  upon  this  infoi'nia- 
ti<>n,  encamped  behind  Street's  ('reek.  TIk'  Sixtli 
was  employed  in  removing  the  woun(h^d,  burying 
the  <lea<l,  and  reconnoitring  the  adjacent  country  to 
determine  the  pi-acticability  of  turning  Riall's  forti- 
fied position,  which  was  too  sti'ong  to  he  assailed  in 


front.     The  result  of  tl 


le  enirineers  exi) 


>lorat 


ion  was 


the  discovery  of  an  old, disused  I'oad  leading  to  tlie 
mouth  of  Lyon's  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Chippewa, 
which  McRee  and  Wood  made  practicable,  foi-  artil- 
lei-y  and  the  trains,  in  the  course  of  tlie  day.      Karly 


COLONKI-    WILLIAM     MoUKK. 


L>(M.» 


oil  tlic  ni(»riiiiii:  <>f  the  Stli,  lJI])l('y's  l»r'nr.'i<l('  Jiiid 
porter's  volunteers,  witli  two  ('oiiij)ani('s  of  jirtillciy, 
were  directed  to  tile  oH^"  from  tlie  rear  of  tlie  eaiiip, 
iiiaicli  to  tlie  nioiitli  of  Lyon's  creek,  and  cross  the 
( "liippewa  to  turn  IJiall's  rii^dit  ;  while  Scott's  lnii;- 
ade,  with  the  remainder  of  the  artillery,  should 
threaten  his  front.      IJipIey,  as   usual,  inter|»osed  de- 


so 


lays  when  lirown  in  person  took  the  command, 
that  it  was  three  <M'lock  in  the  afternoon  when  the 
column  arrived  at  the  stream,  whicli  «:;uve  tlie  enemy 
time  to  destroy  the  Lridii'e  across  it.  Our  artillery 
was  inime<liately  piaced  in  two  Latteries  to  com. 
maiid  the  o|>))osite  ]>aiik  (occupied  by  a  small  picket 
and  two  jj;uiis)  and,  at  tlie  same  time,  to  jn'otect  «>ur 
workmen  wliile  constructing  a  new  bridge.  Tlie 
<'neniy,  ([uickly  di\  ining  our  ilank  movement  which 
menaced  the  safety  of  his  camp  and  communications, 
promptly  destroyed  liis  lieuvy  artillery,  abandoned 
his  intrencliments  at  the  mouth  of  tlie  ('hij)])ewa, 
ra])idly  retreated  on  (^)ueensrowii,  threw  garrisons 
into  Forts  (feorge  and  Mississauga,  and  with  the 
remainder  of  his  forces  fell  back  to  Twenty-mile 
Creek,  designing  to  [U'oceed  to  l^urlington  Heights, 
there  to  await  expected  re-enforcements. 

Leaving  I*orter's  command  to  guard  the  stores 
and  repair  the  bridge  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chi[)})ewa 
abandoned  by  the  enemy,  Brown,  on  the  0th,  |»ur- 
sued  the  Hying  foe,  who,  u]Hm  liis  a])])roach,  left  his 
works  on  (.,)ueenstow'n  Heights  which  oiu-  army  im- 
mediately occu])ied.  Witli  the  British  forces  either 
coo])ed  up  in  Fort  George  or  esca])ing  to  the  head 
of  Lake   Ontario,   Brown    was  now    master    of    the 


lM<» 


CA.MI'AKiN    OF    ISl 


|«^;' 


m- 


( ) 


PciiiiisulM  of  Nvliicli  lie  colli  I  lijivc  k('[)t  control  Imd 
he  Mot  «lct'iiic(l  tile  ('\|)('ctc<l  ii;t\  nl  co-o]>ei'Jitioii  essen- 
tial t<»  liis  safety.  riifoi-tiiiiately,  Cliauiicey  was 
sick,  the  fleet  hlockaded  in  Sackett's  Ilai"I»oi-,  and 
tliere  was  no  friendly  ship  sallyinir  forth  to  hrinii' 
trooj)s  (.)•  snjtplies  from  Sodus  or  the  ('cnesee  i'i\'ei', 

W  liile  Bi'ow  n,  on  his  <^)neensto\\  n  percli,  was 
swee|)in<i:  the  lioi'izon  foi-  friendly  sails  \\  hicli  came 
ii(»t,  the  engineers  wt-re  explorinLC  the  country  ai'ound 
and  their  escorts  daily  skirniishlnir  witli  tlie  enemy. 
On  tile  -Jiith,  Brown  moved  to  within  alxmt  a  mile 
of  Fort  (jreorne,  whicdi  was  deeme<l  t(»o  stroni:;  t(»  he 
carried  l)y  assaidt  and  oui-  artillei'y  too  liuht  t 
])reac]i  its  walls.  I'nder  these  circumstances,  and 
learninj.:;  tliat  Kiall  had  been  stronizly  re-enfor<'ed 
witli  some  veteran  reuinients,  I)r<»\\n,  on  the  L^L^I,fell 
Lack  to  liis  inti'encliments  on  <^)u(M'nsto\\  n  JIeii;lits. 
Here,  a  letter  received  fVom  (ieneral  (raines,  at  Sa(d<- 
ett's  lIarl)or,  dispelled  tlie  hist  hope  of  Chauncey's 
co-oj)eration  ;  but  Brown  resolving'  not  to  lose  the 
fruits  of  liis  \  alor,  decided  to  <lisencund)er  himself  of 
heavy  baij:;iL^ain:;e,  and  at  all  liazards  to  ]»ush  forward 
to  liui'lington  Heights.  To  make  this  movement 
an<l  r<'|)lenish  liis  st(»res  from  Schlosser,  he,  <tn  the 
24th,  retii'ed  across  the  ('hipjtewa,  leaving  a  battal- 
ion on  the  noi'th  side  t(»  hold  the  enemy's  (tid  works, 
still  entire  and  (piite  formidable.  On  passing  Niag- 
ai'a  Falls  tlie  enemy's  light  troops  hung  upon  our 
rear,  showing,  as  wus  coiudiisively  proved  the  next 
dav,  his  near  aj)[)ro.'i(di  in  force. 

The  obstinate,  sanguinary  and  extraordinary  niglil 
battle  of  .Iiilv  'Jatli,  variously  called   Niauara,  Lun- 


n'^ 


(<»i<)\i:i,   wiMjAM   M(I:i:k 


211 


(ly's  \/,\]u'  .'111(1  I^iidiicw.'itcr,  was  niicxiH'cted  l>y  botli 
contestants,  and  not  till  noon  of  tliat  day  was  Blown 
apjtrist'd  of  RialPs  forwai'd  iiio\ ciiu'iit  and  of  Druni- 
iiiond's  landiiiL!'  with  r«MMif(»r<'('iii('nts  of  some  of  W  el- 


linu'toii's    \«'t('raii    rcuinicnts. 


At 


>(>     1'.    M.,    IM'Wi 


caiiH'  that  a  tlionsand  BritisJi,  witli  four  jticccs  of 
artillery,  liad  arrived  at  (^)neenstowii  ;  werealtout  to 
attack  oiir  militia  near  Lewistoii  *m  the  (»|tj>osite 
liaiik  ;  aii<l  push  iip  the  river  to  destroy  oiir  jninci- 
pal  depot  of  supplies  at  Schlosser,  I'o  divert  their 
attention  fiom  the  j)roseciition  of  this  enterprise, 
Scott,  then  at  afternoon  drill,  was  oi'dered  witli  his 
briii'ade,  '^ro\\soirs  artillery,  Harris"  cavalry,  ami 
Wood  and  Doiii^lass  of  the  eiinineers — about  a  tli<ms- 


iiid  m  all — to  move  down  towart 


(Is  (Ji 


leenstown   am 


show  liimself  before  the  Ileiiihts,  liut  was  not  ex- 
])ecte(l  to  Hi:"lit,  \\'it]i  this  small  force,  Scott  at  tlie 
Falls  met  tlie  advance  of  the  British  forces,  consist- 
inii'  of  a  s(|uadr(»ii  of  drau'ooiis  and  a  few  Indians, 
disreiifardinLC  wliicli  he  j>roceeded  to  ^Irs.  \\  ilson's 
tavern,  near  Ta])le  Itock,  from  whicli  (Jeneral  Iliall 
and  his  staff,  eiiij^aujed  all  day  in  recoiinoitriiii:-,  iiad 
scarce  esca|)ed.  While  Lieutenant  Douinlass,  and 
then  Major  Jones,  wer<'  <lesj»atched  to  aj>prise  dren- 
eral  Brown  of  tlie  jtreseiice  of  the  enemy,  Scott's 
column,  prec"<led  by  the  draudoiis,  <»n  its  forward 
march  was  soon  tired  upon  from  a  copj)ice  on  the 
riuht  of  the  road.     'I'lu'  column  1<ept  on  throuirh  the 


W'ooo,  under  a  verv 


hea\  \   fire  of  art  ill 


er\ ,  mu; 


<ket 


rv 


and  riK'kets,  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  best  disci- 
|)rme<l  troops.  Passing  tiiis  forest  defile,  Scott 
emerged  into  an   open  field  to  the   left   of  the   roatl 


m 


2] '2 


rAMI'AICN    (»F    \>^\\. 


and  at  once  fonned  in  line  of  l)attle  at  Lnndy's  Lane 
facing  the  enemy,  •2,500  stronu',  snpported  by  nine 
])ieceH  of  artillery  ((>  to  •J4-]K>iin(lei's)  on  a  eoniniand- 
in<>;  lieiu'lit. 

Scott's  position  was  full  of  danger:  to  stand 
still  would  be  fntal ;  to  retreat  very  hazardous;  and 
to  attack  a  force,  (h>uble  his  own,  and  well  })osted 
on  a  field  of  its  choice,  was  perilous  in  the  extreme. 
Thirsting,  howevei',  for  glory,  and  witli  the  laurels 
of  CMiippewa  yet  fresh  u])on  liis  l)n)W,  Scott  hes- 
itated not  a  moment  to  attack,  trusting  that  the 
remainder  of  the  army  would  soon  arrive  to  his  sujv 
])ort.  Quickly  surveying  the  field  witli  his  glass,  he 
discovered  an  unoccupied  s[)ace  of  two  hundi'ed 
yards,  covered  by  bi'ushwood,  lietween  the  liver  and 
the  British  left,  through  which  he  directed  Jesu]»to 
force  his  way,  gain  possession  of  the  (^ueenstown 
road  and  thus  cut  oft'  the  enemy's  re-enforcements 
now  a])proaching  the  field  of  battle  under  Lieut.- 
(reneral  Drununond.  The  ^Majors  task  was  l)rill- 
iantly  executed,  and  among  the  ti'opliies  of  his  suc- 
cess wei'e  the  capture  of  General  lliall,  several  (»tliei' 
officers,  and  160  men — ^the  number  of  prisoners  of 
war  a])Out  e(pialling  his  whole  eft'ective  strength.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  enemy  attem])ted  to  turn  vScott's 
left  by  a  furious  assault  which  was  re[)ulsed  with 
heavy  loss,  and,  aftei-  an  hour's  bloody  contest,  <"he 
British  artillery  alone  stopd  firm.  Drunnnond's  offi- 
cial despatch  confessed  that  when  he  arrived  <^n  the 
field,  he  found  Kiall's  ''advance  in  full  retreat;  and 
when  his  own  for^iation  wms  completed,  the  whole 
front  was  warndy  and  closely  engnged,  the  principal 


("<»L<»NKL    W  IF  J.I  AM    MiRKK. 


21-S 


Aiiicricjm  ctforts  dii-t'ctcd  against  tlic  Hritisli  left 
and  centre;  aftei-  re])eated  attacks,  those  on  tlie  left 
forced  back,  and  the  Americans  irainin*:;  tenij)orar3^ 
possession  of  tlie  road." 


BRlT/s;^'%  1 


^ 


0m. 


BRITISH  RESERVESc 
A  OVA  NCI  NO 


%°^ 


m 


•'■'^'VWv^V 


©  tJ  I 


^    ^  ©■■•    .^  ^  o 


«9®    # 


^•AMERICANS 


JNiaA^MAFALLS 


While  Scott's  little  ])and  of  heroes,  now  reduced 
to  onedialf  by  death  and  wounds,  was  still  keejmiu- 
the  enemy  at  bav,  Brown,  informed  of  tlie  situation 


i.. 


M 


■  li 

I 


I 


lM4 


CAMI'AKiX    <»l'    1814. 


and  lieai'iiiii;  tlic  continuous  rattle  of  niusk«Hi'y  an<l 
roar  of  ai'tilh'i'v,  |)usln'<l  ra[)i(lly  forward,  tlie  brii^;- 
ades  of  Kipley  and  Porter,  from  Cliippewa,  Al)out 
dai-k,  in  advance  of  tlieir  arrival,  Mcllee,  tlie  Cliief 
Knuineer,  hurried  at  speed  to  reacli  the  field.  (^)ui('klY 
reconnoitring  the  position,  lie  stop[>ed  at  the  foot  of 
the  height  u\Hm  which  the  British  hatterv  was  posted. 
After  contemplating  it  for  a  few  m(»ments,  he  turned 
to  Li(Mitenant  Douglass,  of  the  engineers,  and  with 
his  peculiar  emphasis  said:  "That  hill  is  the  key  of 
the  ])osition  and  mnst  he  taken."  To  General 
I^row  n,  ^vho  soon  came  nj)  accompanied  by  Major 
AVood,  he  made  the  same  statement  and  more  fully 
explained  his  reasons.  So  soon  after  as  the  engi- 
neers could  select  and  lead  the  troops  to  the  l)est 
positions  to  interpose  those  just  arrived  to  cover  the 
wreck  of  Scott's  brigade,  lirown  ordered  the  gal- 
lant 21st  Regiment  to  storm  and  cany  the  British 
battery.  "  IM  try,  Sir,"  promptly  i-esponded  the  vet- 
eran driller,  its  (^oloiiel.'"'  Oft  and  bravely,  since 
the  days  of  'i'ippccanoe,  had  he  faced  the  foe,  but 
never  before  had  such  a  tei'rible  task  been  given  to 
him  to  perfoiiii.  However,  with  his  characteristic 
alacrity,  he  led  forwai'd  his  three  hundi'ed   Spartans 

*  Gt!iuM';iI  Uiplev'.s  claini  lo  llic  iliscovcry  of  llie  iiiiijoitiuict'  of  curryiiii; 
llio  Hritisli  l)aUery  iiiitl  8u;:;i;ostinL;;  its  captiiro  to  General  JJrown,  is  com- 
pleloly  set  asiile  by  Milli'i"  l;iiii,st'lf,  who  wrolo  to  his  wife  three  (hiys  after 
tiie  Itattle  :  "  Miijor  Mcliee,  tlu>  Chief  En.Ljiiieer,  told  General  Brown  he 
eoiiUl  do  no  ;^ooil  until  that  hei:;ht  was  carriefl,  and  those  cannon  taken  or 
driven  from  their  position.  It  was  then  niijiit,  but  moonlight.  General 
IJrown  turned  lo  me  and  said  'Colonel  Miller,  take  yoni'  reji;iment  and 
storm  that  work  and  lake  it.'"  General  lii'own  in  his  manuscript  memo- 
randum of  the  Campaign,  says  :  "The  Commanding  General  rode  to  Colo- 
nel Miller,  and  ordered  him  to  charge  und  curry  the  enemy's  artillery  with 


CULOXKL    WIUJAM     M.  KKK. 


21;") 


to  afliirve  .'i  iH'NV  Tlu'nuojtN  lu'.  Stealthily,  uikUm' 
slioflit  cover,  he  a])i)i'oiit'lie(l  witliiii  two  rods  of  the 
eiieiiiyV  o-uiiiiers,  {)rej)ai'e(l  with  inatelies  liii;]ite(l  to 
(leal  <leatli  and  destruetion  ;  delivered,  over  a  slio-lit 
I'ail  fence,  one  witheriuL!:  volley;  rusiied  instantly  to 
the  midst  of  tlie  l)attery;  bayoneted  tlie  artillei'ists 
at  tlieir  unns;  di'ove  back  tlie  infantiy  snpports  in 
a  liand-todiand  strnu"ui;le;  and  triuni])liantly  remained 
mastei-  of  the  nine  pieces  and  of  everythini;"  on  the 
heii^lits,  until  Uij)ley  l)ronii'ht  two  reu'inients  to 
In's  assistance.  "  In  the  dai'kness  of  tlie  nio-lit,"  says 
the  Hritish  comnian<ler s  otiicial  despatcli,  "in  so 
<letermined  a  manner  was  the  American  attack 
directed  aj^ainst  our  i;uns,  that  our  artillerymen  were 
bayoneted  ])y  them  in  the  veiy  act  of  loadinu",  and 
tlie  muzzles  of  the  American  sj;uns  were  advanced 
within  a  few  yai'ds  of  ours." 

The  Bi-itisli  drixtMi  down  the  liill,  leavinu'  their 
i:;uns  and  their  killed  and  wounded  in  the  hands  of 
tlie  victors,  rallied  at  its  foot  for  a  new  etfort  to 
ren'ain  the  heiii'ht.  Meanwhile,  Scott's  torn  brii;ade, 
reduced  t(»  less  than  half  its  streiiu'th  by  tlu'ee  hours 
of  bloody  battle,  was  consolidated  into  a  battalion 
under  I^eavenworth,  at  Lundys  Lane.  When  infor- 
mation came  that  the  re-enforced   armv  was  advan- 


^J 


M 


I'  If: 


tilt!  bayonet.  lie  ivplicil  in  a  torn;  of  j;(t()il  Immor  lliat  he  woiiM  /?•// to 
oxecuio  the  oriler."  LioiiUMiaiit  I)ouii;lass,  wlio  was  co;:Ciiizant  of  llio  whole 
Iraiisaction,  iu  ii  public  lecture  said  :  "  1  am  correct  in  statiiii;  tiiat  ii  w:..s 
first  siii;jj;esle<l  to  the  niind  of  tiic  ConiiiiaiKlcr-iii-Ciiicf  by  Colonel  McUi  f. 
The  .storniiii,:^  of  the  heij^hl  had  been  fully  di-;('UHsed  and  arran;;('il  before 
(Jeneral  Ripley  arrived.  It  was  i)rol)ably  ten  uiiiiuterf  after  all  this,  before 
the  head  of  the  second  l)rij;ade  (Ripley's)  arrived,  lhrou;j;li  the  openin;^-  of 
the  woods,  on  the  sceiK!  of  action;  and  the  order  beini^  iriven,  the  Twenty - 
lirst  innnediately  took  up  its  position  for  storiinnji  the  heights.'' 


iv  m- 


L'Ki 


("AMl'AKi.N    (»F    1814. 


ciiiui;  to  ivtjilvc  tile  ])atterv,  Scott  led  his  h.-ittulion- 
briij^adein  an  iiiij)etii()iiscliar<j:;e  which  j)iit  the  British 
left  to  iliglit.  Miller's  New  Ilaiupshire  heroes,  firm 
as  their  own  granite  hills  and  supported  by  .Ri]>ley's 
closed  ranks,  reserved  their  tire  till  tlie  iiasli  of  the 
storiners'  trims  indicated,  in  the  darkness,  the  posi- 
tion of  the  victims  to  their  unerrin<;  aim.  Again 
and  again  the  British  re-formed  and  renewed  the 
attack,  at  such  close  (piarters  that  bayonets  were 
crossed  and  the  Haslies  of  o[)posing  muskets  mingled. 
Ilistoi'v  no  where  furnishes  an  example  of  more 
des])erate  determination  t(»  do  oi-  die. 

Drummond,  now  re-enforced  with  1,500  fresh 
troops,  led  a  fourth  assault  to  I'egain  his  battery  ;  but 
this  foi'lorn  hope  was  as  unsuccessful  as  those  wliich 
preceded  it,  though  the  British  stoi'iners  far  outnum- 
bered the  American  defenders  rooted  to  that  ])lood- 
drenched  height. 

Thus  ended  this  terri])le  night,  whose  wild  tu- 
mult was  only  rivaled  by  the  roar  of  the  near  Niag- 
ara's downward  [)lunge : — a  contest  unecpialled  in 
this  war,  and  in  heroic  valor,  (logged  tenacity,  and 
dreadful  carnage,  rarely  sur[>assed  in  the  annals  of 
our  country.  In  this  Titan  struggle,  we  certainly 
can  cl.-iim  the  higher  ci'own  of  glory  ;  for  here  the 
enenn's  [)osition  ^^as  strong,  well  chosen  and  thoi'- 
oiighly  reconnoitred  ;  his  arms  of  the  best,  ammu- 
nition abundant,  and  his  [)owerful  artillery  admira))ly 
posted  ;  his  troops  inured  to  wai',  many  being  fresh 
from  Wellington's  veteran  army  ;  and  certainly  he 
possessed  every  advantage  of  time,  place  and  circum- 
stance.     Vet,   in    a  ])rolonged  battle  of    tive   hours. 


COLONKL    WILLIAM    M(  REE 


21 


niDstly  in  darlviiess  and  on  a  field  unknown  to  lis, 
the  British  were  beaten  by  half  their  niiinl)ers  of 
Americans,  few  of  whom,  except  at  Chippewa  twt^nty 
days  before,  had  ever  heard  a  hostile  shot.  Cer- 
tainly there  could  be  no  more  glorious  and  decisive 
victory;  no  more  thorough  dissolving  of  the  charm 
of  British  invincibility. 

After  Drummond's  last  assault,  the  enemy  ex- 
hil)it^d,  l)y  liis  desultory  firing  in  the  woods, 
evidences  of  great  confusion  ;  while  our  troops,  form- 
ing three  sides  of  a  hollow  scpiare  covering  our  own 
and  the  enemy's  artillery,  remained  drawn  up  in 
good  order  for  more  than  an  hour  in  undisjnited 
possession  of  the  field  of  our  triumph.  ITiifortunately 
all,  except  one  of  our  general  officers  and  most  of 
the  other  seniors  of  our  ai-my,  wei-e  disabled,  which 
devolved  tlie  command  on  (reneral  Ripley,  ^vho  rarely 
in  this  campaign  was  found  at  the  I'ight  time  in  the 
right  place.  "  The  enemy,"  says  General  Brown, 
*'  seemed  to  be  effectually  routed ;  his  forces  dis- 
appeared. In  a  conversation  which  occurred  a  few 
minutes  after  between  the  Major-General,  Majors 
Wood  and  McRee,  and  two  or  tliree  other  officers,  it 
was  the  unanimous  belief  that  we  had  nothing  more 
to  apprehend  from  the  foe  with  whom  we  had  been 
contending ;  Init  it  appeared  to  be  admitted  by  the 
whole  that  it  would  l)e  })roper  to  return  to  camp. 
The  idea  did  not  occur  to  any  one  present,  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  leave  behind  a  man  or  a 
cannon.  It  was  ol)served  by  Major  McRee,  expressl}^, 
that  there  would  ])e  no  difficulty  in  removing  the 
cannon  by  hand." 


218 


(AMPAKiX    (H"    1811. 


Tlie  bjittle  tliUM  being  ended,  .'ind  Genernl  Brown 
Heverely  suffering  from  liis  wound,  tlie  witlidniwnl 
of  llie  nrniy  to  eanij)  was  left  to  General  Ripley, 
wliicli  was  executed  in  good  order  and  without 
molestation  from  the  enemy  ;  but  he  had  not  lu'ought 
off  the  enemy's  artillery.  "An  hour  after  the  battle," 
says  General  Hrown  in  his  official  despatch,  "  I  sent 
for  him,  and  after  giving  him  my  reas(ms  for  the 
measures  I  was  about  to  adopt,  ordered  him  to  put 
the  troo[)s  in  the  best  possible  condition;  to  give 
them  the  necessary  refreshment,  to  take  with  him 
the  pickets  and  camp-guards,  and  every  other 
description  of  force ;  to  put  himself  on  the  tield  of 
battle  as  the  day  dawned,  and  there  to  meet  and 
beat  the  enemy  if  he  again  appeared.  To  this  order 
he  made  no  ol)jection,  and  I  relied  upon  its  execution. 
It  )imf<  not  e.vcrnted.''''  Uipley,  with  his  usual  dila- 
toriness  and  perverseness,  failed  to  cross  the  Chippewa 
till  it  was  sunrise  ;  halted  his  colunm  at  Bridgewater 
Mills,  a  mile  from  Lundy's  Line  ;  and  protesting 
against  proceeding  further,  fell  back  to  head-([uarters. 

General  Hrown  thoroughly  dissatistie<l  with  the 
conduct  of  General  Rij>ley  on  tlie  night  of  the  25th 
and  morning  of  the  2(>th,  and  his  and  General  Scott's 
condition  not  permitting  their  taking  the  field,  it 
was  resolved  to  temporarily  devolve  the  command  of 
the  remnant  of  the  heroic  Army  of  the  Niagara 
u[)on  General  Gaines,  who  was  at  once  ordered,  for 
this  pur])ose,  from  Sackett's  Harbor. 

While  the  wounded  were  being  removed  l)y 
water  to  Butt'alo  on  the  2<>tli,  Kipley  abandoned  his 
strong  position  behind  the  Chippewa,  which  he  could 


1  r 


i*U:    ' 


n\ 


COLONKI-    UTLLIAM    XcIlKK. 


2  1  i » 


ur 


he 


it 


Ol 


lira 

t'<  >r 


Ibis 
.1(1 


cusily  have  \\v\d  till  I'e-eufoived  ;  and  fell  hack  to 
J^lack  R<K'k  Ferry,  where  lie  would  liave  crossed  to 
the  American  shore,  bnt  for  the  firm  opposition  made 
by  General  Porter  and  Majoi's  Mcliee,  Wood  and 
Towson.  Still  persistinti^  in  liis  disregard  of  liis 
conntry's  lionoi',  Ri})ley  left  the  army  <m  the  27th  to 
obtain  Brown's  permission  to  abandon  C'anada,  in 
which  he  signally  failed;  was  indignantly  I'ebnked  ; 
ordered  to  occupy  Fort  Erie;  and  turn  over  liis 
command  to  General  (mines  immediately  upon  his 
reporting  for  duty. 

The  army  was  now  encamped  on  the  lakeshore 
just  above  Fort  Erie,  while  that  work  and  its  ex- 
tensive exterior  intrenchments  were,  day  and  night, 
rai)idlv  made  ready  ])ythe  enii-ineers  to  resist  a  sieire. 
Drummond's  losses  in  the  battle  of  Niagai'a  were  so 
heavy  and  his  ai'nry  so  demoralized  by  defeat,  that 
he  remained  (piiet  at  Lundy's  Lane  to  rest  his  ti'oops 
and  receive  re-enforcements  ;  hence  he  did  not  reach 
Fort  Ei'ie  in  force  till  a  week  after,  of  which  respite 
we  diligently  availed  ourselves  in  preparing  for 
coming  events. 

The  details  of  the  Siege  of  Fort  Erie  Ave  will 
reserve  for  our  next  chapter.  Now  we  will  only 
I'emark  that  McRee,  as  Chief  Engineer,  was  untiring 
in  pushing  forwar<l  the  defenses  of  the  great  in- 
trenched camp  of  which  Fort  Erie  proper  formed  an 
im[)ortant  part.  lie  was  jtresent  everywhere,  day 
and  night,  su])ervising  the  construction  of  trench  and 
battery,  carefully  reconnoitring  all  the  surroundings, 
and  with  an  eagle's  eye  watching  the  slightest  indi- 
cations of  the  enemy's  movements.      After  Drum- 


■J'-. 

220 


CAMPAIGN    OF    1S14. 


nunKTs  fierce  })oinb{ir(lment  of  Aug.  18-H,  in  certain 
e.\[>ec'tjiti()n  of  an  aswault,  McRee  made  every  })rej»- 
aration  in  his  [)ower  to  meet  it.  Late  in  the  nii^ht, 
to  malve  assuiance  (loul)ly  sure,  lie  went  the  rounds 
of  tlie  entire  camp  and  i^ave  such  directicms  and 
counsel  to  the  different  commanders  as  the  occasion 
seemed  to  i'e(|uire.  "Be  pronn)t  and  enerij^etic," 
was  his  lan<i^uai»;e  to  Douglass  on  the  extreme  right, 
"for  you  may  be  assured,  that  whatever  else 
they  may  do,  f//i.s  will  be  one  of  their  points  of  attack." 
Accordingly,  while  trusting  the  gallant  Wood  of 
the  engineers  vigilantly  to  watch  the  left,  IVfcKee 
posted  himself  on  the  right  extremity  of  our  lines 
(personally  managing  a  six-])ounder)  to  guard  it  from 
being  turned  by  an  assaulting  cohunn.  As  he  had 
anticipated,  the  enemy  made  persistent  attempts  in 
the  darkness,  before  the  dawn  of  the  latli,  to  effect 
liis  object,  and  not  till  daylight  and  the  terrific  ex- 
plosion in  the  bastion  of  Fort  Erie  had  taken  })lace, 
did  Drummond  cease  his  efforts  to  carry  the  place  by 
coujMle-mahi. 

General  (xaines,  then  in  command,  in  his  official 
report  of  this  bi-illiant  I'ejndse  of  the  enemy,  says: 
"To  Major  McRee,  Chief  Engineer,  the  greatest  credit 
is  due  for  the  excellent  arramxements  and  skilful 
execution  of  his  plans  for  fortifying  and  defending 
the  right,  and  for  his  correct  and  seasonable  sug- 
gestions to  regain  the  bastion."  Again,  on  the  26th, 
he  reported  to  the  AVar  Department:  "Our  p<^sition 
is  growing  stronger  every  day  by  the  exertions  of 
Majors  McRee  and  Wood."  During  the  remainder 
of  August  and  half  of  September,  l^oth  armies  were 


rOLONKL    WriJ.IAM    M(;UEK. 


001 


nil 

tii, 


loll 


OT 

Her 
M'e 


receiving  re-eiiforcemeiits  und  pivpuriug  for  an  ulti- 
mate trial  for  siijtremacy.  The  sliarji  rattle  of  pick 
and  slK)vel,  directed  by  our  engineers,  continually 
varied  the  l)ooniing  hass  of  the  enemy's  artillery  till 
the  17th  of  September,  when  Brown,  who  on  the  2d 
had  I'esumed  command,  seeing  the  impending  danger 
of  })eing  overwhelmed  by  the  su[)erior  numbers  and 
ordnance  of  Drummond,  ivsolved  to  sortie  from  his 
camp;  if  possible  demolish  the  enemy's  siege  works; 
and  destroy  the  fruits  of  his  month  and  a  half  of 
unremitting  laboi-.  This  brilliant  final  trium])h  of 
our  arms,  greatly  "due  to  the  counsels  of  Colonel 
McRee  and  Major  Wood,"  terminated  the  C'ampaign 
of  1814,  and  compelled  the  retreat  of  the  British 
army. 

In  his  official  report  of  Sept.  211,  1814,  General 
Brown  says:  "  Lieut.-Colonel  McKee  and  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Wood,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  having 
I'endered  to  this  army  services  the  most  im[)oi'tant, 
I  must  seize  the  opportunity  of  again  menticming 
them  j)articularly.  On  every  trying  occasion,  I  have 
reaped  much  benefit  from  their  counsel  and  excellent 
advice.  No  two  officers  of  tlieir  grade  could  ha\e 
contributed  more  to  the  safety  and  honor  of  tliis 
army.  Wood,  brave,  generous  and  enterprising,  died 
as  he  had  lived,  without  a  feeling  but  for  the  honor 
of  his  country  and  glory  of  her  arms.  Plis  name 
and  example  will  live  to  guide  the  soldier  in  the  path 
of  duty  as  long  as  true  heroism  is  held  in  estimation. 
McKee  lives  to  enjoy  the  appr()l)ation  of  every 
virtuous  and  generous  mind,  and  to  receive  the  re- 
ward due  to  his  services  and  hiuli  militai'\'  talents." 


I 


!H 


000 

m^  m  m 


(A.MI'AION    (U-     18U. 


Tliis  ln'ilHaiit  three  nioiitlis'  ('aiMi>ainii  of  LSI 4,  in 
wliic'li  our  {iriiis  liad  so  o;loiiously  triiiiiiplu'(l  over 
siipei'ior  imiiibers  of  Hiitisli  picked  vetenins  in  two 
san<::ulnai'v  battles  and  a  deadly  defense  afcainst  a 
stnbhoni  sie<;e,  was  in  strikinLf  eontrast  to  the  sad 
fiascos  of  IHl'J  anci  181. S;  yet,  stratei2;ically  con- 
Hidered,  we  conrpiei-ed  notliinu;  exeejtt  victory  and  a 
pro'ud  name  for  the  s|)ii'it,  (liscij)iine,  endurance,  and 
skill  of  tlie  American  arms.  As  we  began,  so  we 
ended  the  campaign,  without  ac(|uiring  an  inch  of 
Canada;  for  the  useless  fort  in  our  j)ossession,  when 
we  retired  to  our  own  soil,  was  blown  uj)  and 
abandoned. 

Tlie  prominent  defect  in  the  Cam|)aign  of  1<S14 
was  the  scattering  of  our  forces  along  an  extended 
frontier,  and  making  our  greatest  effort  on  the  Niag- 
ara remote  from  the  true  objective  point  in  any  con- 
quest of  Canada.  In  conducting  this,  its  most 
important  featu]'e,  many  grave  faidts  were  committed. 

FivHi :  AVe  should  liave  invaded  Canada  by 
crossing  the  Niau-ara  near  its  mouth  rather  than  at  its 
liead,  the  fovmer  being  nearer  to  our  true  objective 
j)oint.  Here  a  single  successful  battle  woidd  have 
cut  oil'  the  enemy  from  re-enforcements ;  probably 
have  destroyed  his  ai-niy  ;  and  certainly,  at  once, 
liave  secured  the  whole  Peninsula. 

Sec<»i<l :  Placing  our  principal  depot  of  supplies 
in  the  defenseless  position  of  Schlosser,  between  us 
and  the  enemy  where  it  Avas  difRcult  to  guard,  open 
to  attack,  and  in  gross  viohition  of  military  princi- 
ples, for  which  we  would  have  severely  suffei'ed  at 
the  hands  of  a  nK>re  enterprising  antagonist. 


lies 

us 

hen 

lu'i- 

at 


COLONKI,    WILFJAM    McUKK. 


W    M    •> 


Third :  Aftei"  tlic  cjqttiire  «»f  Fort  Krie  we  were 
ii<;lit  in  promptly  nioviiii^  forwai'd  to  meet  tlie  enemy, 
hut  (leeidedly  wronu;  in  oui-  mode  of  attack;  fortius 
l)attle  of  (Miip])ewa  was  essentially  fou^'lit  l)y  SeottV 
sinL!;le  l)rigade,  instead  of  l)y  the  whole  army.  Had 
Brown  thi'owii  lialf  his  foree,  under  eovei*  of  tlie 
woods,  to  aetuall\  tuin  RialTs  ri^lit,  when  tlie  hitter 
was  advaneiui:;  to  the  su[>j>ort  of  his  skirmishers, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  have  opjjosed  liis  front  and 
tlireatened  his  left  witli  tlie  other  half,  the  J^ritish 
army  would  have  been  utterly  routed,  the  Chippewa 
crossed,  and  the  enemv's  stront"'  intrenchments  have 
fallen  that  nin'ht  into  our  possessicm.  An  assured 
victory  here  wcmld  have  been  decisive  of  the  Penin- 
sula campaign. 

Fourth  :  After  the  battle,  when  the  engineers 
rej)orted  the  practical )ility  of  turning  the  I'ight  of 
the  C^hippewa  intrenchments,  Brown  shoidd  instantly 
have  thrown  the  mass  of  his  forces  upon  the 
enemy's  communications  to  cut  him  from  his  Ijase 
and  re-enforcements,  thus  to  compel  lliall  to  fight 
for  his  existence  in  a  position  of  our  own  choice. 
Our  delay,  till  the  8th,  in  crossing  the  Clii})pewa, 
saved  the  British  army,  enabled  lliall  to  garrison 
Fort  George,  and  remain  niastei*  of  the  Peninsula. 

Fifth :  Brown,  after  crossing  the  Chippewa, 
should  not  have  halted  at  Queenstown.  With  a  single 
brigade  he  had  beaten  Uiall,  who,  now  weakened 
by  the  force  thrown  into  Fort  (reorge,  could 
easily  have  been  defeated  or  driven  from  the  Penin- 
sula, leaving  us  free  to  occupy  and  intrench  Burling- 
ton  Heights.     Thus   we   would    have   accom])lislied 


224 


CAM  PA  K  J  N    OF    1811. 


tile  irijiin  object  of  {\w.  caiiipjiiL;'!!  in  this  (jiiui'ter ; 
been  ready  to  meet  DruiiiinoiKrs  udvaiuMH^-  re-eii- 
forcenieiits  ;  linve  moved,  witliout  serious  opposititm, 
down  Luke  Ontario;  cajttiiiH^d  Kini::ston  witli  the 
assistance  of  tlie  ijjarrison  of  Sackett's  Ilarljor  and 
Cliauncey's  fleet;  and,  Hnally,  have  tiinnij)liantly 
readied  Montreal,  tlie  ii;oal  <xf  our  eiuh^avors. 

Sh'th :  Brown,  feariui/;  for  tlie  safety  of  liis  ill- 
[tlaced  depot  nt  Sclilosser  on  the  2r)tlj  of  July,  wisely 
resolved  to  save  his  menaced  mai!;aziiies  by  thi'eat- 
ning  the  (Mieiny  in  front;  but,  unwisely,  he  sent  for- 
ward an  inade<|uate  force,  and,  as  at  (/]ii[)pewa, 
fou<i;ht  his  bloodiest  battle  by  detachments,  in  viola- 
tion of  all  sound  military  axioms.  With  his  united 
army  he  must  have  erushed  Kiall  tirst  and  Druni- 
niond  afterwards,  ami  thus  have  ii;ained,  with  half 
his  actual  losses,  a  decisive  and  crowning  victory  at 
Niagara. 

SeiU'iifh  :  After  th<*  des])erate  night-batth^  at 
Lundy's  Lane,  when  our  army  i-(^turned  to  camp  for 
refreshment,  thei'c  was  no  excuse  for  (ieiieral  Ivij>I(^y's 
leaving  the  cajttured  British  artillery  on  the  Held, 
if  his  foi'ee  of  men  and  horses  was  insuHicient  to 
drag  it  away,  he  could,  nt  least,  have  spiked  and  dis- 
mounted the  guns;  have  bi'oken  off  their  trunnions 
and  burne<l  the  carriages;  or,  othei'wise,  have  ren- 
dered useless  this  battery,  the  after  possession  of 
which  thinly  veiled  the  eiunny^s  (lefeat,and  was  of  in- 
estimable value  in  his  subs('(|uent  siege  of  Fort  Krie. 

AVy/////  ;  When  our  army  ha<l  returned  to  the 
(Jhi|)j»ewa  intrenchments,  Ripley  had  no  excuse  for 
abandoning  them  ;  f<>r  we  had,  with  inferiiu'   forces, 


("OLONKL    WILLIAAl    McUKK. 


M    «    «' 


just  Ijcutt'ii  (lie  ciicniy  in  ji  stroiii;;  position  of  his 
own  (rlioicci,  who  (M'l't.'iinly,  in  his  crippIcMl  mikI  dcnioi- 
jilizcd  (•on(liti()n,  coiihl  not  Ii.inc  dislodi^^cil  us  tVoui  Ji 
foi'tilicd  (';un|)  with  wliich  we  wcr*'  now   fiiiniliar. 

Ninth:  llij)h'y's  conduct  In  cn<h';i\  <n-in<j^  to  rc- 
ti'tNit  to  oni"  own  tci-i'itory,  ()cfoi-c  :i  l)c;itcn  foe,  was 
wholly  unj»;irdon;d)lc,  and  justly  ('.\j)os('<i  him  to  the 
chai;i:;('  of  moral,  if  not  of  j)hysical  <'owar<iicc. 

Vr///'//  ;  Al'tci-  the  vic.toiy  of  ChipjK'wa,  and 
Brown  had  reached  the  vicinity  of  Fort  (ieoi<r(.^  the 
failure  of  (lianncey  to  co-opei'ate  with  the  army 
was  the  excuse,  rather  than  the  necessity,  for  not 
prom]>tly  followini:;  up  and  Ix^atini^  Kiall  hefoi'e  he 
could  l)e  re-enforced  by  Di'ununond. 


Khrciifh  :  (JencM'al    I/ard's  dilatory  and  aind< 


MS 


movements,  from  Aui(Ust2iMh  t(»()ct,  loth,  deprive<l 
us  of  ji  laru;e  force  in  the  cam|)aii:,"n.  Had  he  remained 
on  Lake  ( 'hamplain,  IMosost  miL','ht  have  sliared  the 
same  fatt^  at  IMattshui'i;',  in  1814,  us  had  !iuri:;oyne 
lit  Saratoga,  in  1777,  wIumi  on  the  suuie  line  of  op<'r- 
utions  he  teiininate<l  Ids  march  hy  the  capitulation 
of  liis  whole  army.  Oi',  ha<l  he  not  jM'oceeded  to 
the  Niau'ara  at  the  slow    rate,  1>\   land   and   water,  of 


l)()Ut  ei! 


d.t 


miles  a  < 


tune 


to  1 


lave   |oine( 


J' 


lay 
d    \\ 


he  won 


Id    I 


lave  ai'rived    m 


I'own  s    arm 


)■ 


an( 


w  I 


th    th 


united    foi-ce   of    S,()()0  comhatants,    w<'  coidd    liav 


1) 


driven  l^rummom 


1  to  I 


iOWCI' 


( 


anada 


!.• 


McI 


vee,  w 


hen  he  became   the  Chief    iMiuineel"  of 


(Jenei 


al    H 
tl 


I'own  s    ai'iuN',    was    on 


ly 


M 


ijor 
]) 


hut 


dnriuL!,'  tlu^  campaiL^n,  lu^  nobly  won  two  ])ievets — 
that  of  i.ient.-Coh.nel,  July  2;"),  ISII,  "for  gallant 
conduct  in  the   Hattle  of   NiatrJii'u,"  and  of  Colonel, 


220 


CAMPAKJX    OF    1814. 


;  i     I 


August  IT),  1814,  '' for  (listiiiguislied  services  iu  tlie 
Defense  of  Fort  Erie."  Tlirougliout  tlie  campaign 
Mcliee  enjoyed,  in  tlie  liigliest  degree,  the  confidence 
of  tlie  whole  army ;  was  foremost  in  the  councils  of 
every  movement  and  plan;  and,  be  it  said,  to  the 
lasting  honor  of  the  General-in-Chief,  he  was,  at  all 
times  and  on  all  occasions,  then  and  after,  prompt 
and  explicit  in  acknowledging  liis  official  oljligations 
to  his  able,  energetic,  and  brilliant  Cliief  Engineer. 
McRee  and  Wood,  sa>  s  Brown  in  his  report  of  the 
Battle  of  Niagara,  "were  greatly  distinguished  on  tliat 
day,  and  their  high  military  talents  exerted  witli  great 
effect ;  they  Avere  much  under  my  e}'e  and  near  my 
person,  and  to  their  assistance  a  great  deal  is  fairly 
to  be  ascribed.  I  most  earnestly  recommend  them 
as  wortliy  of  the  highest  trust  and  confidence."  His 
estimate  of  Mcliee's  services  in  the  defense  of  Fort 
Erie  we  have  already  quoted.  He  freely  stated  tliat 
"Mcliee's  iiuhistry  and  talents  were  the  admiration 
of  the  whole  army,"  in  which  he  would  doubtless 
have  been  made  a  Brigadier-General  liad  the  war 
continued.  On  the  death  of  General  Brown,  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1828,  a  distinguished  member  of  Congress, 
who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  tlie  President,  says  in 
a  private  letter  to  a  deceased  officer  of  the  army, 
now  Ixifore  us :  "  Mcliee  is  spoken  of  as  a  prominent 
candidate  for  General-in-Chief."  Another  hero,  of 
another  field  of  glory  iu  the  Campaign  of  1814,  won 
the  })rize  ;  but  few  will  deny  that  it  would  have  been 
most  \vortliiIy  bestoAved,  with  honor  and  profit  to 
the  nation,  upon  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Niagara, 
who,  to  the  highest   science,   militai'V  talents,  culti- 


COLONEL    WILLIAM    .MoKEE. 


227 


vated  liiiiid,  and  eiuiueiit  fitness,  added  a  sjnrit, 
energy,  kn-  ledge  of  details,  ])<)wer<)f  C()nd)ination, 
and  a  genl..  ior  connnand  ecpial  to  direct  the  largest 
army  ever  upon  an  American  field, 

Genei'al  Winfield  Scott,  no  ordinary  judge  of 
soldiers,  said  of  McKee  in  a  letter  of  May  81,  1843: 
"In  my  o])inion,  and,  perliaps,  in  that  of  all  the 
army,  he  condnned  more  jjjeniusand  military  science, 
\yitli  high  courage,  than  any  other  officer  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  AVar  of  1812.  I  know  that  this 
\yas  at  least  a  very  general  opinion.  If  the  Treaty 
of  Peace  had  not  preveiite<l,  lie  could,  as  I  also 
know,  have  l)een  made  a  general  oflieer  in  1815,  and 
I  am  confident  that  he  would  in  the  field,  have  illus- 
trated ihe  highest  grade." 

Scarcely  had  the  war  with  Great  Britain  termi- 
nated, when  Colonel  McKee  and  Major  Thayer  (sub- 
secpiently  the  eminent  Superintendent  of  the  INIilitary 
Academy)  were  selected  Marcli  20,  1815,  by  the 
government,  to  accompany  Commodore  Decatur's 
expedition  to  chastise  the  Algerine  pirates  who  had 
been  preying  upon  our  commerce  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean waters.  Suddenly,  April  12,  1815,  their  des- 
tination was  changed  from  Africa  to  Europe,  with 
instructions  to  visit  the  fortifications  and  militai'v 
establishments  of  France  and  the  Netherlands;  and  to 
])urchase  maps,  books,  etc.,  to  form  a  suitable  library 
for  the  Military  Academy  at  AVest  Point. 

Provided  w  ith  otficial  and  private  letters  to  dis- 
tinguished [)ersonages  abroad,  they  sailed,  June  10, 
1815,  fi'om  Boston  in  the  U.  S.  Frigate  Ccmgress. 
( )n  the  passage  they  spoke  the  cartel  "John  Adams," 


228 


CAMPAIGN    OF    18U. 


■Ji 


i 


m 


from  wliic'li  they  lejinied  tlint  N;i])()leoii  liad  escaped 
from  Elba,  giviiiu;  tlieni  liiu:li  liopes  of  reaching 
France  in  time  to  [)artic'ii)ate  in  the  roming  struggle 
for  its  em])ii'e.  On  arriving  in  the  Straits  of  Dover 
these  cherished  anticipations  were  Idasted  by  the 
fatal  tidings  of  Waterloo  and  the  disastrons  termi- 
nation of  the  "  Hundred  Days."  Without  stoi)ping, 
they  passed  on  to  the  Island  of  Walcheren  and, 
after  examining  the  foi-titications,  landed  near  Bruges. 
When  they  reached  Paris,  after  its  fall,  tlie  English 
were  encamped  about  St.  Denis,  the  Prussians  occu- 
pied the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  and  the  Russians  had 
only  readied  Vertus,  Avhere,  with  General  AVintield 
Scott  of  our  army,  in  the  staff  of  the  Duke  of  Wel- 
lington, they  were  present  at  a  great  review,  by  his 
(Irace,  of  all  tlie  troops  of  the  Emperor  Alexander. 
At  Paris,  they  daily  saw  the  Allied  Sovereigns, 
tlieir  well-disciplined  armies,  and  the  great  evolu- 
tions and  fetes  given  in  their  honor — all  of  which 
produced  a  profound  impression  on  these  young 
and  enthusiastic  American  soldiers.  After  these 
stirring  scenes,  they  visited  Metz  and  other  military 
schools,  examined  the  Netherland  fortifications,  and 
those  of  Lille,  Cherbourg  and  Brest  in  France,  and 
made  important  purchases  for  the  West  Point  library. 
Having  performed  his  European  mission  with 
much  credit  to  himself  and  advantage  to  the  govern- 
ment, ]\[cRee  returned  to  the  United  States  in  May, 
1817,  when  he  found  he  had  been  detailed,  Nov.  1(), 
1810,  as  a  mendjer  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  to 
project  the  system  of  defense  for  our  Atlantic  and 
Gulf  coasts.     Tpon  this  most  important  duty,  which 


COIOMOL    WILLIAM    McUKK. 


00») 


called  into  action  all  his  untiring  industry,  extensive 
acquirements,  and  deep  study  of  the  practice  and 
theory  of  war  at  home  and  abroad,  he  \\'as  diligent- 
ly engaged  for  two  years ;  when,  having  similar 
views  to  those  of  the  late  Chief  Engineer  (which  we 
have  detailed  at  leno-th  in  our  sketch  of  Bi'io-adier- 
General  Joseph  G.  Swift)  respecting  the  impolicy 
and  injustice  t)f  introducing  General  Simon  Bernard, 
a  foi-eign  engineer,  into  the  United  States  military 
service,  Mcllee,  with  ci'ushed  pride  and  wounded 
heart,  resigned,  March  81,  1810,  from  the  army,  in 
which  he  had  so  faithfully  and  honorably  served 
from  boyliood  till  he  had  attained  the  full  rank  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  Engineei's,  and  Brevet  Colonel, 
U.  S.  Ai-my,  Subse([uently,  strange  to  say,  one  of  the 
works,  projected  by  this  same  (leneral  Bei-nard  foi' 
the  defense  of  Pensacola  Harbor,  was  named  Fort 
McKee,  after  his  junior  in  rank,  but  his  c(pial  in 
knowledge  and  talent. 

In  this  connection,  we  give  at  length  tlie  opinion 
of  the  very  sagacious  and  eminent  acbninistratoi',  then 
at  the  head  of  the  AVar  Department.  In  a  letter  of 
July  12, 1848,  John  C.  Calhoun,  says  :  "  I  have  great 
regard  for  Cokmel  William  McKee.  I  lis  talents 
and  character  were  of  the  highest  order,  lie  only 
lacked  opportunity  to  distinguish  himself  as  a  great 
military  chief. 

"When  General  Swift,  who  was  at  the  head  of 
the  Corps  of  Engineers,  received  a  civil  .•i])point- 
ment,  I  was  anxious  to  place  Colonel  JMcKee  in  liis 
place,  in  order  to  retain  him  in  the  military  service. 
I  knew  he  contem[)lated  retiring.    Colonel  Armistead, 


I 


2;^o 


CAMPAIGN    OK    1814. 


u  nijiu  t)f  grent  worth,  jind  for  whom  I  liad  mucli 
respect,  was  his  senior.  Tlie  step  could  not  he. 
tjilven  with  propriety  without  his  assent.  I  spoke 
to  him  witliout  apprising;  Colonel  McHee  of  my 
intention.  He  had  tlie  highest  admiration  for  him, 
and  felt  the  same  solicitude  he  should  continue  in 
the  service  that  I  di(h  lie  gave  his  consent  without 
hesitation,  accompanied  by  declarations  alike  lionor- 
aljle  to  Colonel  McRee  and  himself.  I  communi- 
cated ^^•hat  had  occurred,  with  my  wish  to  have 
Colonel  McKee  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Corps,  to 
President  Monroe,  who  readily  agreed  to  it.  lie 
had  also  a  very  high  opinion  of  Colonel  McRee.  I 
made  known  to  him  the  facts,  but  so  delicate  were 
his  feelings,  and  such  his  esteem  for  Colonel  Ar- 
mistead,  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  overcome 
liis  oljjections  to  be  placed  over  him,  even  with  his 
assent.  I  know  that  Mr.  Monroe  participated  in 
my  desire  to  continue  his  services  in  the  Corps,  and 
when  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  retire,  felt  every 
disposition  to  give  him  some  eligible  civil  appoint- 
ment. *    ^      ^-  *  *  *  *  * 

"  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Ensz-ineers 
to  take  into  consideration  the  defense  of  the  country 
and  report  on  a  system  of  fortiiications,  with  (xen- 
eral  Bernard.  The  lattei'  was  not  strictly  an  officer 
of  the  army,  but  he  had  the  pay  and  emoluments  of 
a  Hrigadier-(Teneral.  Mis  position  was  anomalous, 
and  excited  a  good  deal  of  discontent  in  the  army, 
and  in  the  C-ori>s  of  Engineers  j)ai'ticularly  ;  and  it 
w^as  tlu^ught  by  many  it  was  felt  by  Colcmel  MclTee. 
But  he  was  not  the  man  to  make  complaints;  if  lie 


COI.ONKL    WII.I.IAM     MrUKi:. 


L>M1 


!hI 

■» 

felt,  he  never  expressed  any  discoiiteiit  tome;  but 
always  spoke  liiglily  of  tl»e  talents  and  character  of 
General  Bernard,  as  lie  did,  invariably,  of  Colonel 
McRee  to  nie.  They  were  both  eminently  talented 
and  skilful  engineers.  I  regarded  Coh>nel  McRee 
fully  e(pial  to  the  General,  and  his  reports  to  the 
Department,  when  they  made  sej^arate,  will,  I  think, 
fully  hold  me  out  in  this  opinion." 

After  McRee's  resignation  from  the  military 
service,  seeking  the  quiet  pleasures  of  private  life, 
he  resided  in  the  Western  States,  holding,  for  a 
short  period,  the  position  of  United  States  Conunis- 
sioner  for  locatins:  the  "National  Road"  'west  of  the 
Ohi(>;  and,  again,  under  the  Act  of  March  8,  1825, 
temporaril}',  that  of  the  Chief  Conuuissioner,  to 
survey  the  western  waters,  and  locate  and  plan  the 
"Western  Armory."  His  letters  from  the  West, 
many  of  which  we  have  carefully  read,  give  gra])hic 
accounts  of  his  explorations  in  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ley ;  his  sharp  struggles  with  poverty,  for  he  had  no 
money-saving  talent ;  his  sale  of  almost  everything, 
even  his  much  loved  books,  to  defray  the  moderate 
expenses  of  his  frugal  living ;  his  declining  tenders 
of  lucrative  positions  to  which  he  modestly  thought 
himself  une(pial  ;  his  n()])le  disinterestedness  to  pro- 
mote other's  fortunes  by  the  selection  of  lands;  his 
devotion  to  his  few  warm,  and  steadfast  friends  ;  his 
stern  integrity  amid  the  most  alluring  temptations; 
and  his  continuous  cheerfulness  under  the  severest 
trials. 

At  last,  necessity  knowing  no  law  and  his  last 
resources  becoming  insufficient  for  his  stinted  exist- 


P^  - 


'2:\'2 


tAMJ'AKiN    ()!■'    1814. 


?! 


eiice,  lie  was  compelled  to  listen  to  the  persuasions 
of  his  friends  and  to  ac'c'e2)t,  Fel).  22,  1825,  the  office 
of  Snrv^eyor  General  of  the  United  States  for  the 
District  of  Illinois  and  Missouri.  In  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  that  troublesome  and  thankless 
office  he  continued  till  -Tuly  25, 18;}2, having  been  re- 
appointed in  January,  1829.  At  the  time  of  leaving 
this  office  liis  name  had  l)eeii  sent  to  the  Senate  as  a 
proper  person  to  survey  the  l)()undary  line  between 
the  United  States  and  Mexico,  but  he  never  entered 
upon  the  <luty.  J^rokeu  in  health,  he  retired  to  his 
congenial  seclusion  till  May  15,  1838,  when  the 
Asiatic  cholera  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  terminated  his 
mortal  career  in  his  forty-sixth  year. 

Colonel  JNIcKee  was  a  bachelor;  small  in  stature; 
chaste  and  tem})erate  in  habit ;  and  grave,  reserved 
and  almost  austere  in  manner.  AVhen,  however,  he 
Avas  interested  in  conversation  his  steel-ldue  eye  light- 
ed up  his  pale,  melancholy  face,he  becoiuing  eloquent, 
instructive,  and  earnest,  even  to  being  sarcastic  ;  yet 
he  was  ever  kind,  considerate,  and  deferential  to  those 
whose  opinions  were  worthy  of  respect.  Winning 
the  mai'ked  reu'ard,  and  excitinix  the  warm  admiration 
of  all  within  the  sphere  of  his  acciuaintauce,  he 
seemed  to  withdraw  with  morlnd  sensibility  from 
general  notoriety.  He  despised  syco[)haiits  and 
scorned  demagogues.  He  possessed  a  highly  culti- 
vated mind,  strong  '"easoning  faculties,  (piick  per- 
ceptions, firm  convictions,  and  I'esolute  will,  making 
him  a  leader  more  than  a  follower  of  men.  He  was 
an  omnivorous  reader  and  studied  the  classical  as 
well  as  modern  models  of  men,  Brutus  and  Cassius 


^^\ 


COLOXKr,    WILLIAM     McItKK. 


288 


lo- 


Pll 
lie 


ti- 


ng 

las 
las 


lis 


being  his  heroes  among  tlie  ancients,  while  Frederic 
and  Napoleon  were  his  modern  [)aragons.  Though 
military  in  his  tastes,  he  did  not  confine  liimself  to 
[)rofessional  thoughts,  for  he  revelled  in  history  and 
literature,  preferring  the  times  and  types  of  i-evo- 
lution,  such  as  the  daring  Luther,  the  sturdy  Crom- 
well, the  fiery  Mirabeau  and  the  passionate  Byron. 
He  wrote  but  little,  for  notoriety  was  distasteful  to 
him;  yet  the  public  archives  contain  many  forcible 
memoirs  from  his  pen,  showing  strong  intellect, 
wealth  of  knowledge,  marked  originality,  and  close 
observation.  His  report  on  the  establishment  of  the 
Pittsl)iirg  armory  evinces  not  only  a  sohlier's,  but  a 
statesman's  views  ;  and  his  remarks,  in  the  New  York 
Scientific  and  Literary  Magazine  upon  the  present 
resources  and  magnificent  future  of  the  "Great  West," 
are  pregnant  with  original  and  far-seeing  predictions. 
McRee  was  a  modest,  wortliy  and  eminently  dis- 
tino-uished  son  of  his  cherished  Alma  Mater,  which 
had  educated  him  for  the  service  of  the  nation,  for 
whose  glory  he  gave  liis  highest  endeavors  and  the 
best  years  of  an  active  life.  The  General-in-Chief  of 
the  Niagara  Army,  with  just  magnanimity,  ascribed 
to  McRee  much  of  the  eminent  success  of  his  com- 
mand, and  well  he  might,  for  his  Chief  Engineer  in 
that  memorable  campaign  of  1814,  though  only 
ffoenff/sLv  years  of  age,  was  old  in  wisdom,  the 
Mentor  of  the  Council  and  the  Palinurus  of  the 
Battle-field. 


I 


CIIAPTEll  SIXTH. 

SIEGE  AND  DEFENSE  OF  FORT  ERIE  IN  1814  ; 

WITH   A  mOORAI'IIICAL    SKETCH    OK 

MAJOR  DAVID  BATES  DOUGLASS. 

Spades  are  Trumps  in  tlie  Attack  and  Defense 
of  Fortified  Places ;  and  tlie  j^i'oininent  playeis  of 
these  winning  cards  are  Engineer  Troops,  technically 
termed  Sappers  and  jNIiners. 

It  was  to  reward  the  whole  French  "Corps  dn 
Genie,"  in  the  jxM'son  of  its  real  chief,  both  by  rank 
and  merit,  that  the  Grande  Monar( pie  gave  the  baton 
of  Marshal  to  the  illustrious  Vauban,  who  fought 
140  battles,  conducted  58  sieges,  and  l)uilt  and 
repaired  300  fortifications.  Prior  to  the  wars  of 
Louis  XIV,  infanti'}'  troops  were  detailed  for  sap- 
pers and  instructed  in  their  duties  by  engineers.  So 
impei'fect,  however,  was  the  system,  that  Vauban,  in 
1670,  urged  the  propriety  of  a  separate  organization 
of  1,200  Sappers  and  Miners.  In  1(55)0,  the  first 
company  ^vas  organized  under  the  command  of 
Vauban  himself,  who  says:  "To  such  a  degree  have 
I  felt  the  necessity  of  Sappers,  that  I  have  always 
had  reason  to  re])eiit  of  not  having  more  urgently 
solicited  the  creation  of  this  company."" 

So  valuable  were  engineer  troops  considered,  that 

234 


MA.JOK    UAVII)    MATKS    l)()[(iLAS6. 


235 


tliey  continued  to  be  increased  in  nnnd)ei-  till  the 
outbreak  of  the  French  Revolution.  In  the  wars  of 
Napoleon,  which  followed,  tliere  are  innumerable 
instauces  in  illustration  of  the  delays  and  disasters 
attendinj^  the  operations  of  armies  notsupjilied  with 
sufficient  euL^dneer  troops;  and,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  advanta<!;es  resultinuj  from  their  services  when 
ample  in  numbers  and  j)r()perly  organized  and  in- 
structed. 

From  the  first  to  the  second  emj)ire,  tlie  influence 
of  engineers  continued  to  be  more  and  more  appre- 
ciated. To  the  French  military  establishment  there 
are  now  attached  8,000  of  this  arm  of  service. 

Frederic  the  (Ireat  organized  two  companies  of 
Miners  in  1742;  but  previous  to  1810,  Prussia  had 
no  regular  8api)ers,  foi*  which  neglect  and  that  of  her 
fortifications  this  country  paid  the  forfeit  in  the  disas- 
trous cam})aign  of  Jena  in  1806.  Since  then,  Prus- 
sia lias  become  a  nation  of  soldiers,  Northern  Ger- 
many now  having  in  her  vast  army  nearly  11,000 
encfineer  officers  and  men. 

When  AVellington  went  to  the  Spanish  Penin- 
sula, he  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  State :  "  It  is  in- 
conceivable with  what  disadvantages  we  undertake 
anything  like  a  siege  for  the  want  of  engineer 
troops  ;"  and  Colonel  Napier  says:  ''When  the  first 
serious  siege  was  undertaken  by  the  British  army, 
to  the  discredit  of  the  English  government,  no  army 
was  ever  so  ill-provided  with  the  means  of  promo- 
ting such  an  enterprise.  The  engineer  officers  were 
exceedingly  zealous  ;  and  many  of  them  were  well 
versed   in   the  theory  of   their  business.     But   the 


'2'M\ 


SIVMK  AM)   DKl'KXSK  OK  FOUT  KUIK  IN  18U. 


ablest  trembled  when  retleetiiiix  on  their  utter  desti- 
tution of  all  tluit  belouii;ed  to  rejd  service.  Without 
a  eorj)s  of  sappei's  and  miners  to  carry  on  an  aj)- 
proacli  nndei-  tire,  they  were  ('omj)elled  to  attack  for- 
tresses defended  by  the  most  warlike,  practi  md 
scientlHc  troo])s  of  the  as^e,  The  best  oHIce.s  and 
[U'ivaie  soldiers  were  obliii^ed  to  saci'itice  themselves, 
in  a  lamentabh*  manner,  to  compensate  for  the  negli- 
gence and  inca[)acity  of  a  government  always  ready 
to  plunge  the  nation  into  war,  without  the  slightest 
care  of  what  was  necessary  to  obtain  success.  Tlie 
sieges  carried  on  by  the  Hi'itish  in  Spain  were  a  suc- 
cession of  butcheries;  because  the  commonest  mate- 
rials, and  the  means  necessary  to  their  art,  were 
denied  the  engineers."  (\)lonel  John  T.  Jones  writes 
in  nearly  the  same  tei'uis  of  the  early  sieije  the 

Peninsnhi,  and  with  respect  to  the  siege  of  ^.  jos, 
adds  in  express  terms,  that  "a  body  of  sappers  and 
miners,  and  the  necessary  fascines  and  gabions  would 
have  rendered  the  reduction  of  the  work  certain." 
Soon  after  this  siege,  a  body  of  the  Corps  of  Royal 
Sappers  and  Miners,  ci-eated  in  1812,  arrived  from 
England  ;  but  their  luimber  proved  insutlicient,  and, 
for  yeai's,  the  British  army  struiryled  on  with  a  most 
impei'fect  army  organization.  The  engineer  arm 
was  gradually  increased,  so  that,  in  the  last  year  of 
the  war,  it  numbered  1,730  officers  and  men.  Exclu- 
sive of  officers,  the  present  force  is  4,500, 

E^ery  military  student  acknowledges  the  import- 
ance to  the  British  army  of  the  vast  Lines  of  Torres 
Vedras ;  the  iield  works  of  Ronda ;  the  intrenched 
camps  of    the  Pyrenees,   Bayonue,   Toulouse,  etc.; 


MA.IOU    DAVID    UATKS    DOFCJLASS. 


2.S7 


and  Wellin^'toii's  pivpamtioii  foi-  liis  HjiuI  struggle 
nt  Waterloo,  just  het'ore  wliicli  battle  he  employed 
18,000  peasants  and  2,ooo  hui-ses  under  the  direetion 
of  the  engineer  otticers  and  men. 

It  is  unnecessary  here  to  exhibit  the  importance 
attached  by  other  Kuro])ean  |)(>\vers  to  having  well 
oi'ganized  and  insti'ueted  engineer  troops. 

In  our  first  chapter,  we  have  shown  how  Wash- 
ington sutt'ered  in  the  early  days  of  the  Revolution 
for  the  want  (►f  instructed  engineers;  but  it  was  not 
till  May  27,  177N,  that  Congress  authorized  tlii'ee 
companies  of  Sa[)pers  and  Miners,  which  served  till 
tlie  end   of  the   Revolution  with  efficiencv  and  dis- 

« 

tinction,  and  were  mustered  out  of  service  in 
Noveml)er,  1788.  To  the  [)resent  C\)rpsof  Kngineers, 
se])arated  tVom  the  Artillery  March  1(5,  1802,  there 
were  added,  Fel).  28, 1808,  nineteen  enlisted  men,  and, 
April  2t),  1812,  a  company  of  "  B(^mbai'<liers,  Sa|)pers 
and  Miners,"  making  a  total  of  118  engineer  soldiers. 
This  company  did  admiialde  servdce  in  the  campaign 
of  1814  on  the  Niagai'a  frontiei',  as  we  shall  ])resently 
show,  and  was  disbanded  U[)on  the  reduction  of  the 
army  in  1S21.  Sul)se([uently,  the  necessity  of  re- 
cruiting such  a  l)ody  of  men  was  strongly  urged  by 
the  Chief  Eno'ineer  in  elaborate  reimrts  showinfj; 
their  usefulness ;  but  not  till  May  If),  184(),  was  a 
company  of  one  hundred  "  Sappei's,  Miners  and 
Pontoniers "  authorized,  which  so  soon  as  enlisted, 
organized  and  drilled,  was  ordered  to  Mexico.  It 
took  ])art  in  the  siege  of  Vera  Cruz;  attack  of  Cerro 
Gordo;  the  battles  of  Contreras,  Churubusco  and 
Molino-del-Rev ;  constructed  butteries   aijainst  Cha- 


; 


288 


SIEGE  AND  DEFENSE  OF  FORT  ERIE  IN  1814. 


pultepec  ;  and  did  excellent  service  at  the  garita  San 
Cosme  on  tlie  ca])ture  of  the  City  of  Mexico.     Since, 
detachments  have    been  detailed  on   various  expe- 
ditions, and  the  wliole  company  efficiently  served  in 
the   Utah  campaign  of    1858.       In    August,    1861, 
Congress  authorized  four  additional  companies,  and 
the  whole  five,  forming  a  battalion,  were   attach  d 
to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Tlieir  services,  through- 
out the  Civil   War,  were  of   incalculable  value   in 
throwing  up  intreiicliments,  bridging  streams,  pre- 
paring battle-fields,  making  reconnoissances,  and  in- 
structing volunteer  engineer  soldiers,  of  which  many 
regiments  Avere  called  into  service,  soon  becoming  by 
means  of  tlieir  skilled  lal)or  and  high  intelligence, 
the  most  valuable  adjuncts.     In  no  Avar  have  more 
wonderful  and  dai'ini>:  feats  of  eiisji'ilieeriiii'"  been  so 
expeditiously  pei-formed,  than  by  our  armies  aided 
])y  the  reijular  and  volunteer  enixiiieers :  such  as  the 
field    intrenchments  everywhere;    the    Defenses    of 
Washiugioii,    with    their    68     enclosed    forts    and 
batteries,  numerous  gun  emplacements,  and  20  miles 
of  I'itie-trenches ;  the  sieges  of  Fort  Wagner,  Island 
Ten,    Vicksburg    and    Knoxville ;    the    formidable 
works   before    ^'orktown,    Corinth,    Mobile,    Cold 
Harbor,     and    Petersburg;     the    almost    continuous 
lines  and  l)atteries  from   Chattanooga  to  Atlanta  ; 
and    the   remarkable   lu'idge    structures   across  the 
James,  Cniickahomiiiy,  Potomac  Creek,  Etowah,  Chat- 
tahoochie,    etc.,    the   former  the  longest  ever  built 
by  engineers  in  the  field,  and  some  of  the  latter  re- 
constructed almost  before  the  originals  they  replaced 
ceased  to  Inirn. 


JfAJOU    DAVID    HATKS    DOUGLASS. 


239 


The  five  re<i;ul;ii'  eiiuineer  eoiiipanies  are  still 
I'etaiiied  in  service,  tliou<]i:li  tlie  strenijth  of  the  bat- 
talioii  is  only  2<)<>,  or  about  1  to  60  of  our  infantry 
troops,  while  the  propoi'tion  eonsi<lere(l  necessary  in 
the  Prussian  army  is  1  to  3(3,  in  the  English  1  to  34, 
and  in  the  Frencii  1  to  33. 

David  I^atks  I)(>i(;i.ass,  son  of  Xathaniel  and 
Sarah  Bates  Douglass,  was  l)orn  ^Nfaivh  21,  179U,  at 
I'onipton,  N.  J.  llis  mother,  a  woman  of  superior 
mind  and  high  princi]>les,  carefully  directed  his 
studies  till  he  entered  Vale  College,  in  1809,  from 
which  he  was  graduated,  with  high  honors,  Sept.  18, 
1813. 

liike  all  young  men  of  true  spirit,  "  he  desired 
to  serve  his  country,"  then  at  war  with  (rreat  Bri- 
tain, "and,  if  possible,  in  the  highest  branch  of  the 
service."  Acc(M'dingly  he  traveled,  alone  and  al- 
most unaided,  to  Sackett's  lIarl)oi',  to  make  a[)[)lica- 
tion  to  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Army,  for  a  com- 
mission in  the  cor[)s  he  commanded,  (ieneral  Swift, 
seeing  that  he  was  a  young  man  of  high  charactei' 
and  abilities,  at  once  gave  him  a  letter  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  then  at  Sackett's  irar])or,  which 
resulted  in  Douglass  being  appointed,  Oct.  1,  1S13, 
a  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  Coi'ps  of  Engineei's.  He 
was  inunediately  ordered  to  West  Point,  and  Nov.  3, 
1813,  placed  in  command  of  the  com])any  of 
bond)ardiei's,  sap|)ers  and  miners.  Here  he  spent 
seven  months  diligently  studying  his  new  profession 
and  drilling  his  conunand,  with  which  he  was  or- 
dered, June  H),  1S14,  to  proceed  foi-thwith  "and 
join  the  army  under  Major-( ieneral  lii'own." 


11 


'i 


240        SIEGE  AjSD  DKFEXSE  of  KOHT  EIUE  in  1814. 

Though  the  meinbei'.s  of  the  eoiiipuiiy  were  taken 
by  surprise,  as  they  had  l^eeii  enlisted  for  duty  at 
West  Point,  the  whole,  with  hearty  good  will,  set  to 
work  making  their  pre})arations  for  departure  ;  on 
the  evenino;  of  the  19th  were  on  board  of  a 
slow  sailing  sloop  for  Albany ;  thence  in  thirteen 
marching  days  traveled  360  miles  ;  reached  Buffalo 
July  9th,  and  at  once,  without  refreshment,  em- 
barked on  the  Niagara  in  a  leak}'  launch ;  by  mid- 
night, with  much  difficulty,  reached  Chippewa;  there 
joined  Porter's  volunteer  brigade,  forming  tlie  rear 
guard  of  our  forces  ;  iwid  on  the  next  morning  reached 
the  main  army  at  Queenstown,  where  half  of  the 
siege  train  was  assigned  to  the  Bombardiers  and 
fought  l)y  them,  subsequently,  to  the  end  of  the 
campaign.  It  is  unnecessary  again  to  recount  the 
stirring  events  recorded  in  our  last  chapter.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  Douglass  and  his  command  were,  in  all 
emergencies,  prompt,  active  and  efficient  in  the  per- 
formance of  every  duty  entrusted  to  them  as  engi- 
neers, artillerists,  or  infantry.  A  more  brilliant 
career,  however,  was  reserved  for  them  in  the  De- 
fense of  Fort  Erie,  before  which  (reneral  Drum- 
moiid,  after  resting  a  week  at  Lundy's  Lane  and 
waitinsj;  to  be  re-enforced  by  DeWatteville's  strons: 
brigade,  made  his  a[)[)eai'aiice  with  more  than  dou])le 
our  numbers,  August  2,  1814,  establishing  his  camp 
in  the  woods  at  a  most  resj)ectful  distance  beyond 
cannon-shot.  On  the  next  morning  began  the  invest- 
ment of  the  work,  Douglass  himself  tiring  the  first 
gun  at  the  enemy  when  he  approached  to  recon- 
noitre our  position. 


.MA.IOIJ  DAVID  KATES  DOUGLASS. 


241 


Fort  Erie  was  now  a  small  aiul  feeble  ([uadraii- 
giilar  bastioned  work,  tlioiigli  soinetliiiig  had  been 
done  by  us  to  strenirtlien  it  after  its  ca[)tnre,  July  8d, 
and  much  more  since  the  battle  of  Niagara.  It 
formed  the  right  of  a  large  Inti-enched  Camp,  en- 
closinii:  about  fifteen  acres  aloni2:  the  bank,  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  high,  of  the  eastern  end  of  Lake  Erie, 
which  was  traced  and  l»egun  after  our  return  to  the 
fort.  On  the  extreme  right  of  this  camp,  near  the 
shore,  was  a  stone  structure  made  from  the  ruins  of 
a  lime-kiln,  named  the  "  Douu'lass  Batterv,"  after  the 
youuo:  eni>:ineer  by  whom  it  was  built.  This  was 
connected  wifh  the  gorge  of  the  fort  by  a  seven  feet 
high  [)arapet  having  an  exterior  ditch.  From  the 
left  of  the  fort,  extending  some  800  yards  in  a  nearly 
parallel  dii'ection  ^vith  the  lake  shore,  was  a  parapet 
of  strong  profile  with  a  double  ditch  in  front.  At 
the  southern  extremity  of  this  line  of  intrenchment, 
on  a  sand  mound,  called  Snake  hill,  was  "  Towson's 
Battery,"  twenty-five  feet  high,  for  five  guns.  A 
heavy  abatis  covered  the  front  of  the  intrenchments 
and  enveloped  both  extremities  of  the  camp  to  pre- 
vent theii-  being  turned  at  the  water's  edue  where 
the  lake  was  shallow.  Three  armed  schooners  also 
su|)ported  our  left  and  guarded  our  conunnnications 
with  the  American  shore. 

Colonel  McRee  being  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
army  of  the  Niagara,  most  of  his  time  was  absorbed 
in  directinu',  insi)ectini'',  and  takinir  ireneral  charge 
of  the  defensive  arrangements  of  the  camp.  Lieut.- 
Colonel  AVood,  the  engineer  next  in  rank,  in  conse- 
(pience  of  the  loss  of  officers  in  tlie  preceding   bat- 


if     i 


I^B 

1  '. 

'^H 

■1^ 

'ii 

ll 
'1 

-'Jl 


E 


242        SIKOE  AXD  DEFEXSK  OK  FORT  ERIE  IN  I81t. 

ties  of  Chippewa  and  Niafjarn,  had  been  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  21st  Infantry,  which  recpiired 
mncli  of  liis  attention.  Lieutenant  Story,  tliough 
belonging  to  the  engineer  company,  was  most  of  his 
time  on  detachment  duty  at  Buffalo  and  Black  Hock. 
Thus  on  Lieutenant  Douglass,  the  only  other  officer 
of  engineers,  almost  exclusively  devolv^ed  the  con- 
struction and  repairs  of  the  works  at  Foi't  Erie. 
His  excessive  labors  are  best  to  be  inferred  from  his 
own  words:  "On  the  2d  of  August,  at  evening,  my 
own  little  battery,  though  not  quite  finished,  was 
platformed  and  the  guns  mounted.  1  made  my  bed 
on  the  platform,  that  night;  and,  for  many  weeks 
afterwards,  took  no  rest,  except  on  the  trailed 
liand-spikes  of  one  of  the  guns,  with  an  old  tent 
spread  upon  them,  and  wrapped  in  a  horseman's 
cloak." 

Before  entering  upc^n  the  Siege  of  Fort  Erie, 
Drummond  saw  the  importance  of  capturing  our 
batteries  at  Bhick  Rock,  covering  onr  su]>[)lies  and 
magazines  i-emoved  from  Schlosser  to  Buffalo;  and 
the  three  armed  schooners  in  the  lake  protecting  the 
water  a[)})roaclies  to  Fort  Erie  from  our  depots  on 
the  American  shore.  Though,  on  August  3d,  he 
failed  to  accomplish  the  first ;  he  succeeded,  on  the 
12tli,  in  capturing  two  of  our  negligently  guarded 
vessels. 

That  Drunnnond,  with  his  great  sujieriority  of 
force,  limited  himself  on  the  3d  to  an  attempt  to 
take  our  batteries  at  Black  Rock,  and  not  attack  our 
scarcely  outlined  camp,  is  only  to  be  accounted  for 
by  assiui-niiii'- to  the  battle  of  Nia<::ara  its  true  char- 


MAJOR    DAVID    BATP:R    DOFGLASS. 


243 


of 
to 

our 
for 

lliar- 


acter — a  signal,  im])ressive  and  decided  victory  on 
our  part. 

(xeneral  Gaines  arrived  at  Fort  Erie  on  the  4tli, 
and  assumed  connnand  the  next  day  to  the  great 
joy  of  the  army,  wliich,  witli  reason,  had  little  con- 
tidence  in  General  Ripley.  The  enemy's  tire  ^vas 
inconsiderable  till  the  7tli,  when  his  iirst  completed 
battery  of  tive  pieces  opened  u])on  us  from  a  dis- 
tance of  900  yards.  From  this  time,  the  cannonade 
became  severe  and  unremitting  on  both  sides  ;  and, 
as  the  enemy's  ricochet  tire  passed  lengthwise  through 
our  camp,  the  engineers  erected  massive  traverses  at 
right  angles  to  the  line  of  intrenchments,  wliich 
saved  many  lives.  Despite  the  enemy's  efforts,  our 
works  were  carried  on  with  vigor  and  steadiness, 
Towson's  battery  being  completed  on  the  10th ;  tlie 
intrenchments  between  it  and  the  fort,  incbiding  two 
batteries  on  the  line,  had  been  much  advanced  ;  and 
the  other  defenses  were  in  sufWciently  good  condi- 
tion to  protect  the  camp. 

In  the  meantime,  both  parties  had  been  re-en- 
forced and  every  preparation  made  for  the  desperate 
attack  impending.  Drununond's  arrangements  being 
completed,  his  trenches  opened,  his  batteries  estab- 
lished, and  his  covering  camp  made  defensible,  he, 
on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  opened  a  furious  can- 
nonade and  bond)ardment  upon  our  works,  which 
was  ke[)t  up  till  7  r.  m.  of  the  14th.  Gaines  and 
his  engineers,  thus  apprised  of  the  coming  assault  on 
the  dark  niglit  before  them,  inspected  every  part  of 
the  works,  gave  explicit  orders  to  meet  all  emergen- 
cies, kept  one-third  of  the  garrison   in  turn   under 


L>44 


sie(;e  and  dkkexse  of  foiit  ehie  in  ism. 


•  I 


LRiiKNr).  —  A,  old  Foit  F.rie  ;  ((,  a,  denii-hastinns  ;  /;,  ;i  ravtlin,  ami  (,  i .  lildLk-liniisL's. 
Tliese  were  all  tniilt  by  til-:  llrilisli  prcvicnis  to  its  capture  at  the  liegimiinn  of  July.  (/,  d, 
ba-tioiis  Imilt  by  the  Americans  diiriiiK  tlie  seiKC  ;  V,  e,  a  redoubt  built  for  the  security  of  the 
deml  bastious,  ((,  a. 

H,  the  American  camp,  secured  on  the  right  by  the  line  fl,  the  Douglass  Hattcry,  I,  and  Fort 
Krie  ;  on  the  left,  ami  in  fniut,  by  the  lines,/,/,/,  and  l)atleries  on  the  extreme  right  and 
left  of  tiiem.  'I'hat  on  tlic  right,  immedialely  under  the  letter  i  in  the  words  i.i:\  i-i.  ii.mn,  is 
'I'ottson's;  h,  h,  etc.,  camp  traverses;  n,  main  traverse;  (>,  magazine  traverse,  covering  also 
the  heail-iiuarlers  of  (ieneial  ( '.aincs  ;  /),  hospit.d  traverse  ;  q,  grand  parade  and  ijrovost-guard 
traverse  ;  r,  lieneral  Urown's  bead-cpuirters  ;   .s',  a  ilrain  ;   t,  road  from  (.'bipiiewa  up  the  lake. 

C,  the  encampment  of  Volunteers  outside  of  the  intrencbments,  who  joined  the  army  a  few 
d.ij's  before  the  sortie. 

D,  1),  the  liritisb  works.  1,^,  H,  tbcir  first,  second,  and  third  battery;  I',  the  route  of 
Porter,  with  the  left  column,  to  attack  the  Uritish  right  flank  on  the  ITth  ;  X,  the  ravine,  and 
route  of  Miller's  conimand. 


:ma.i<)i;   kavid   p.atks  doicjlass. 


2.45 


■1U1U-.CS. 

of  the 

ml  Fort 
^lit  .iiul 

IAIN,  is 

ng  also 
it-giuiiJ 
lake. 
y  a  few 

oiite  of 
lie,  and 


jii'ins,  and  made  cvei'v  i)r('i>aiati()ii  t(»  guard  again.st 
the  expected  hlow.  At  tliis  time,  Lieutenant  Doug- 
lass conunanded  his  own  l)atteiy  on  tlie  riglit  ;  Caj)- 
tain  Williams,  Fort  Krie  ])ropei';  Ca])tain  Towson, 
his  l)attei'v  on  Snake  hill ;  Caj)tains  Bi<ldle  and 
Fanning,  the  two  l)atteries  well  situated  on  tlie  front 
intrenehments ;  and  Lieut.-Cohmel  Wood,  with  the 
21st  infantry,  tlie  extreme  left;  while  the  remainder 


of 


brio-ad 


rA'i 


ider  Colonel  A? 


all. 


Scott  s  veter 

was  posted,  in  su])))ort,  on  the  right ;  Ripley's  brigade, 
on  the  left;  and  Porter's  ^•olunteers  occu[)ied  the 
centre. 

jMidnight  came  undistui'hed  and  calm  ;  but  it 
was  the  lull  before  the  tem])est.  Already  three 
Britisli  assaulting  colunms  were  pre])aring  for  their 
deadly  errand.  One,  1,4<>()  strong,  under  Licut.-Col- 
onel  F^ishei",  was  to  assail  our  left;  the  second,  of  about 
700,  commanded  by  Lieut. -Colonel  Drummond,  was 
to  attack  Fort  Krie;  and  the  third,  nund)ering  750, 
led  by  Colonel  Scott,  was  to  turn  our  right.  At 
half-past  two,  on  the  morning  of  the  15th,  tlie  storm 
first  l)urst  upon  our  left;  but,  no  sooner  were  our 
pickets  driven  in,  tlian  a  sheet  of  flame  from  Tow- 
soifs  artillery  and  \\'oo(rs  infantry  disclosed  the 
enemy's  advance  to  within  ten  feet  of  our  lines,  and 
soon  after,  making  an  effort  to  turn  tlie  abatis  by 
wading  breast-deej>  through  the  lake.  After  a  des- 
perate struggle,  the  enemy  was  re]Milsed  ;  but,  ral- 
Ivino-,  aa'ain  and  auain,  the  attack  was  renewed,  till 
fiv^e  times  failing  to  gain  any  advantage  and  being 
terribly  cut  up  by  our  murderous  fire,  Fisher  finally 
abandoned  the  enterprise. 


IM^ 


•24(1 


)         SIEGE  AXD  DEFENSE  OF  FOKT  EHIE  IN  181t. 


Near  to  three  o'clock  our  pickets  on  tlie  right  re- 
treated and  soon  was  heard  the  measured  tread  of 
Scott's  column  of  attack,  moving  to  penetrate  the 
camp  by  the  intervals  between  the  fort  and  the  ex- 
treme rij^lit.  Soon  the  tlash  of  Douo-lass'  and  McRee's 
guns,  loaded  heavily  with  grajie,  canister  and  mus- 
ket-balls, made  darkness  visible,  ])lowed  furrows 
through  the  moving  mass,  and  finally  repulsed  the 
brave  Britons  who,  failing  to  scale  or  l)reak  through 
our  works,  retire  discomfited,  at  day-break,  to  join 
their  reserve  near  the  ^v<^ods. 

Colonel  Drunnnond,  simultaneously  with  the 
assault  of  Scott  on  our  right,  with  daring  courage 
approached  every  assailal)le  point  of  Fort  Erie 
proper,  endeavoring  to  carry  it  by  escalade.  Thrice 
he  led  liis  sanguinary  folloAvers  up  the  parapet,  but 
was  thrice  repulsed  with  great  carnage.  Desperate 
to  gain  the  fort,  which  six  weeks  before  the  British 
had  lost,  some  hundred  of  the  boldest  of  the  Royal 
Artillery,  under  cover  of  the  low  hano-infr  smoke, 
stole  silently  around  the  ditch,  with  great  celerity 
mounted  the  parapet,  and  gained  a  sure  footing  in 
the  l)astion  before  they  could  be  <lislodge(l.  Goaded 
to  madness  by  his  losses,  Drummond  gave  orders  to 
show  no  mercy  to  the  "  damned  Yankees."  Many 
of  our  men  were  inhumanly  slauo-htered.  The 
gallant  Lieutenant  Macdonough,  severely  wounded 
while  defending  himself  with  a  handspike  and 
pleading  for  his  life,  was  murdered  by  Drummond's 
own  land,  but  the  wretch  soon  paid  the  forfeit  of 
his  b.',\rbarity,  being  shot  by  one  of  our  soldiers 
through  the  heart,  while  the  cry  of  "  no  quarter  "  was 


MA.IOi;    I).\V11>    r.ATKS    DOUGLASS. 


im: 


still  on  his  lij)s.  The  iiohle  conunaiuler  of  the  fort, 
Captain  AVillianis,""'  was  also  mortally  wounded, 
dying  in  an  hour. 

Re-enforcements  were  now  brought  up  on  our 
side,  and  rej^eated  attempts  having  failed,  a  more 
furious  charge  was  to  be  made  to  dislodge  the  enemy 
from  the  l)astion  of  Fort  Ei'ie.  ''To  this  enterprise, 
then,"  says  Douglass,  "the  only  thing  now  remain- 
ing to  com])lete  the  rej)ulse  of  the  enemy,  the  atten- 
tion of  every   beholder  was  most   anxiously    bent. 


Captain  Alexander  John  Williams  was  the  oldest  son  of  Colonel  Jona- 
than Williams,  the  first  Chief  o[  the  present  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army, 
lie  w;is  born  Oclol)er  10,  1790,  in  Phihulelphia,  Pa.;  entered  the  Military 
Academy,  as  a  Cadet,  Jnly  0,  ISOG;  and  was  gradnatod  from  that  institn- 
tion,  and  promoted  Marcii  1,  ISll,  to  he  a  Second  Lieutenant  of  Ensxineers. 
He  continued  on  duty  at  West  Point  till  1812,  when  he  was  ordered  to 
superintend  the  construction  of  Fort  Milllin,  Pa.,  and  while  there  was  pro- 
moted, July  1,  1812,  to  a  First  Lieutenancy.  Heliovin;;  that  he  would  see 
more  active  service,  and  be  more  rapidly  ads-anced  in  the  Artillery,  during 
the  War  now  declared  a;;;ainst  Great  Britain,  lie  asked  for  a  transfer  to  that 
corps,  in  which  he  was  commissioned  a  Captain,  Marcli  17,  1813.  Ills  resi- 
dence of  over  a  year  on  the  low  lands  of  the  Delaware  River,  at  this  time 
had  brought  on  a  dangerous  fever,  yet,  so  anxious  was  he  to  share  the 
honors  and  perils  of  the  campaign  of  1811,  that,  before  he  was  convalescent, 
ho  applied  to  be  ordered  to  the  Niagara  army,  which  he  joined  in  time 
to  take  part  in  the  Defense  of  Fort  Erie.  Here  his  aliilities  were  so  con- 
si>icuous  that  lie  was  selected  for  the  important  command  of  the  old  work 
liefore  the  assault  was  made  upon  it.  Tiirice,  on  the  morning  of  Au<rust  15, 
1814,  had  he  repulsed  the  enemy,  laid,  when  a  fourth  desperate  assault 
was  being  made  upon  the  bastion  of  the  fort,  he  perceived  a  lighted  port 
fire  in  front  of  the  enemy,  enabling  them  to  direct  their  (ire  with  great 
precision.  Instantly  lu!  sprang  forward,  cut  it  otV  with  his  sword,  and 
in  the  act  fell  mortally  wounded— thus  noliiy  sacrillcing  himself  to  save  his 
men.  So  perished  tliis  gallant  and  acconiiilished  olllcer,  not  twenty-four 
years  old,  sincerely  lamented  by  his  friends  for  his  private  worth,  and 
deeply  n>grelted  by  the  whole  army,  with  which  he  was  a  favorite. 
Though  ambitious  of  distinction,  he  was  perfectly  unassuming;  with  laud- 
able spirit,  he  was  indefatigable  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty;  and,  by 
his  intelligence,  zeal  and  exemplary  deportment,  won  the  esteem  and  ap- 
plause, not  only  of  his  subordinates,  but  of  every  superior  in  command. 


V   I 


248      sik<;k  a\I)  i)Kri:\si:  oi-  kokt  kimk  in  18U. 

The  flrinii;  wltliiii  tlie  fort  liad  already  begun  to 
shu'ken,  as  if  to  give  place  to  the  cliarging  party ; 
the  next  moment  was  to  give  us  the  clang  of  weap- 
ons ill  (h'adly  sti'ife.  But,  suddenly,  every  sound 
was  jiuslied  hy  the  sense  of  an  uiuiatural  tremor 
beneath  our  feet,  like  the  first  heave  of  an  earth- 
quake ;  and,  ahnost  at  the  same  instant,  the  centre 
of  the  l)astion  buist  uj),  with  a  territic  ex[)losion  ; 
and  a  jet  of  flame,  mingling  with  fragments  of  tim- 
ber, earth,  stone,  and  bodies  of  i  len,  rose  to  the 
heii2:ht  of  one  oi"  two  hun(b'ed  feet  in  the  air,  and 
fell  in  showers  of  ruin,  to  a  great  distance,  all 
around.  One  of  my  men  was  killed  by  the  falling 
timber." 

This  destruction  and  appalling  explosion  of  our 
anuinuiition  chest  (not  a  magazine  or  mine  as  has 
been  often  stated)  struck  such  panic  among  the 
enemy  that  the  surviving  British  offtcers  could  not 
rally  their  men.  Biddle,  though  wounded,  now, 
Avith  his  guns,  enfiladed  the  glacis  and  esplanade 
in  front  of  Fort  Ei'ie,  while  Fannino-'s  l)attery  dealt 
terrible  execution  upon  the  enemy  flying,  in  com- 
plete disorder  and  dismay,  with  the  loss  of  nearly  a 
thousand  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  or 
twelve  times  that  of  ours,  which  was  but  eighty-four. 

It  was  now  broad  daylight,  and  the  contest  was 
over ;  but  what  a  scene  of  carnage  presented  itself ! 
"  At  every  point,"  says  Douglass,  "where  the  battle 
had  raged,  were  strewed  the  melancholy  vestiges  of 
the  recent  terrilile  conflict.  There  is  the  ruined 
bastion,  the  scene  of  such  desperate  strife,  smoking 
with  the  recent  explosion,   and,  all  around  it,  the 


r :» 


AfA.JOU    DAVID    HATES    DOUGLASS. 


249 


[e\i ! 
ittle 
PS  of 
[ned 

Ung 
the 


ground  covered  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and 
wounded — the  former  in  every  stage  and  state  of 
mutilation.  Near  the  bastion  lay  the  dead  body  of 
a  noble-looking  man,  Colonel  Drunimond,  the  leader 
of  the  British  charge  at  that  point;  his  counte- 
nance was  stern,  fixed  and  commanding  in  death. 
In  front  of  our  tii'es,  between  the  bastion  and  tlie 
\vater,  the  ground  was  literally  piled  with  dead." 

(leneral  (iraines,  in  his  othcial  (les[)atch  to  the 
War  Department,  says  of  this  " handsome  victory": 
"  The  Ninth,  under  the  command  of  Cai)tain  Ed- 
mund Fisher,  was  actively  engaged  against  the  left 
of  the  enemy,  and,  with  the  aid  of  I.ieutenant 
Douglass'  corps  of  bombardiers,  commanding  the 
water  battery,  and  of  that  of  the  volunteers,  under 
Captains  Broughton  and  Harding,  elfected  their  re- 
pulse." Again,  writing  in  IHlf),  he  says:  "Anu>ng 
the  many  brilliant  scenes,  which  combined  to  dispel 
the  clouds  and  light  up  the  darkness  of  that  memor- 
able morninu:,  the  defense  of  the  Doui-'lass  batterv 
stands  rivalled  by  few,  and,  according  to  the  number 
of  guns,  surpassed  by  none.  The  youthful  com- 
mander of  that  battei'v  excited  niv  admiration.  His 
constancy  and  courage  during  a  brisk  cannonade  and 
bombardment  of  several  weeks,  often  in  the  night  as 
well  as  in  the  day;  his  gallantry  and  good  conduct 
in  the  defense  against  a  vigorous  assault  by  a  vast 
superiority  of  numbers,  are  incidents  which  cannot 
cease  to  be  cherished  in  my  memory,  as  among  the 
most  heroic  and  pleasing  I  have  ever  Avitnessed." 

While  Ave  were  much  elated  A\ith  victory,  the 
enemy  Avas  correspondingly  depressed  by  his  defeat 


Ml 


I  \     »!    " 


il  ii  i! 


I  „ 


250        SIi:«iK   AM>   Dill  KN'Si;  OK   r<)|!|'   KIMi:   l\    IHII. 

hikI  severe    losses  of  mI'oiiI    one  roiirlli  of    liis  whole 
force.      Tliis   t^jivc    us   ;i    few    (1,'iys    I'espile    frotii  liis 


HI 


(ill 


er\'    life,   (»l    wliieli   we  tii,i(le  nl 


li'^eiil 


use  III  I'jin- 


idly  repMilill'j'  I  lie  (|;mi;ii^'e(l  l);istioil,  eo||i|(|e(iiij; 
the  lllilililshed  iiil  reilellliielils,  st  I'eiiLl't  lieiiiim'  weak 
points,  elosiiii;  opening's,  reiiewiiiLi'  the  }i)).Mlis,  jMhl- 
iiiij^  new  defenses  around  Kort  Krie,  inakini^  fraises 
of  j)ikes  to  the  parapets,  and  iinprovini:;  oiw  condi- 
tion i^^eliel'ally. 

In  the  nieaiiliine  theeiieiiiy  was  not  idle,  tlioin/h 
their  lire  was  siispeiide*!.  'riM'V  extended  (heir 
intrenehineiits  and  const  riicte<l  a  new  l>attiM'v,  which, 
with  the  oiK'  already  erected,  opened  a  leri'ihh!  lire, 
<»n  the  2lHt,  of  from  2<»()  to  ■)()()  shots  per  day.  Ten 
(lays  later,  thi-ir  inlreiMdiinents  had  Im-cii  pushed  far 
to  their  ri^hf  ami  a  third  battery,  constructed  at  r)00 
yai'ds,  i^reatly  i-etar<le(l,  l»y  its  lire,  our  woi'k  on  I^'ort 
Krie,  necressitatin-j,'  much  ((>  We  don<'  in  (Ik^  nii^ld  ; 
hut;,  notwithstandiii'^,  our  defenses  were  (pii((*  com- 
pN^te  and  all  tlie  ^uns  nionn(e(l  hefoi-e  the  middle  of 
Se|)t»!ml>ei'. 


I 


1 


n    conse(|uence    (»f    (Jaines'    i-ecent    wound    and 


tilth 


vipiey  s  un|Ktpularily  w  illi  tiie  amiy,  iieiieral  lir<»wn, 
tlioULch  still  feeble,  resumed  command  Septemher  2d. 
S(H'ini^'  the  pertinacity  of  the  enemy,  the  raj)id  pi'o.i"'- 


I'ess  ol    Ins    woi 


ks,  I 


IIS   accessions  ol    new    reu'imeiits. 


and    despairing;    of    IxMnji;    liinis<'lf    re-enforced     hy 
I/ard,  tin*  CommandinLi*  (Jenei'al   hci 


oicalU'  rcHo 


Ived 

(o  save  his  army,  or  jterish  in  (he  a(tempt.  After 
careful  iiKpiiry  Brown  found  that  the  I^ritisli  camp 
WHS  two  miles  distant  and  (Micij-cled  hy  thi(d<  woods; 
that  tlie   British  ai'iny   was   diNided    into   tlire(!   l)ri- 


;ilU 


\ 


rown, 
(■!•  2<l. 

incuts, 
|1  ))>' 
t()l\«'(l 

|cuii»l> 
|()(»(ls ; 


MA.IOU    U.WIK    MAIKS    iMMKil.ASS. 


iiiM 


i^'udcs,  nicli  of  l,'_Mio  (<•  I, ."»(»<»  Inraiilr)'  Im's'kIcs  llicir 
!irtill<'|-y  ;  IIimI  one  of  (Iirsc,  in  I  urn,  I'ttrnicil  llicd.iily 
sM|>|«»it  l(»  lln'  si«'i^«'  woI'Ins,  iIkmi  }hI\  Miicrd  tu  williin 
|(»(»  Id  r»(IO  VJii'ds  of  l^'oit  I'lii*' ;  llijit  the  li('a\  v  ('<|iii- 
noctinl  slorms  luid  Hooded  llic  coiinh-y,  |»rodu('ini;" 
nincli  lyplioid  rc\riin  I  )niinniond'M  coinninnd  ;  ;iiid 
that  idl  iiidicutioiis  foretold  a  new  assanll  upon  his 
int r<'nclint(Mits  inoie  forinidaMc  lliaii  llie  last  wliicli 
had  IxM'ii  so  siL!;nally  defeated,  ("aiefully  wcin'hinn' 
all  thing's,  and  consnltini;'  his  nutst  li-'.isled  axUiscM's, 
he  deeifled  I  hat  his  Itest  def(Mise  was  in  (dVense, 
though  he  was  far  inferior  in  fore*-  to  the  t'neniy. 
He  resolved  to  make  a  hold  soi'lie  upon  the  foe, 
"storm  the  hat lei'ies,  dest I'oy  the  cannon,  and  roughly 
handle  the  l)i'iL!;ade  on  duty  before  those  in  reserves 
could  he  hron^ht  into  action"  fi'om  Iheii'  distant 
camp,  Makini^"  liis  prej)arations  with  ^icat  secr<'cy, 
fati^Mie-part/u's  uii(h'r  ahh^  olHcei's  wei't^  sent,  on  the 
l()th,  to  mai'k  a  I'oad  throuL:;h  the  swampy  and 
wooih'd  ground  heforc  oui'  cam|>,  \\hi(di,  undis- 
co\t'i'e(l,  succeeded  in  liiiniiiL;,'  the  ri^ht  and  i^ctlinL;" 
in  I'ear  of  the  enemy's  hatteries;  while  a  small 
ivixiue,  running  from  alxtut  the  middle  (»f  our  in- 
trenchments  to  IIm'  edn(.  of  t|i(>  forest,  was  e.\|>loi('d. 
Kverythin^'  heini;"  favoi-ahle,  the  sky  cloudy,  and 
tlu^  atmosphere  thi<'k  with  driz/liiiiLi;  I'aiii,  oui-  troops, 
on  the  mornini^  of  the  17th,  werc^  pai"ade<|  ['m  the 
dai'ini!,'  attack.  The  left  column,  in  three  divisions 
headed  res|>ectively  hy  (»ihs(»n,  Wood  and  I)avis, 
tlic  wdiole  undei'  (Jeneral  l*(»i-ter,  Ljalue*!,  hy  the  cir- 
cuitous route  mai'ked  out  the  day  hefore,  the  lii-itisli 
rigiit  Hank  ;  while  Miller's  column,  passing'  in  small 


it 


Hi 


252        SIEGE  AND  DKFEXSE  OF  FOIJT  KKIE  iN    IRU. 

cletacliineiits  tliroui;!!  the  nivine  at  rii^lit  ans^les  to 
tlie  middle  of  our  front,  reached  tlie  edije  of  tlie 
woods,  under  cover  of  wliich  it  inarched  to  the  liead 
of  another  ravine,  passing  down  which  it  took  up 
its  position  nearly  opposite  the  enemy's  centre.  Rip- 
ley's column  was  in  reserve  under  Ft)rt  Erie  ;  and 
the  artillery  was  ready  to  coxer  the  return  of  our 
troo})8. 

Before  three  o'clock  of  the  afternoon  of  the  17th, 
Porter  assaileil  the  right  of  the  enemy's  works  ; 
while  Miller,  charging  from  the  ravine,  pierced  the 
enemy's  intrenchments.  In  a  few  minutes,  they  had 
taken  possession  of  the  block-houses;  captured  the 
second  and  third  batteries;  disabled  their  guns; 
blown  up  a  magazine  ;  cleared  the  siege  works  of  de- 
fenders ;  and,  after  a  short  struggle,  the  first  battery 
was  also  cari'ied.  T\w  British  reserves  were  inune- 
diately  j)ut  in  motion,  at  their  camp,  to  march  to  the 
rescue  ;  but  already  our  sallying  cohnnns  had  done, 
mostly  with  the  bayonet,  their  allotte  1  task,  and 
were  safelv  retirinii;  in  ijood  order  to  the  fort. 

In  this  glorious  achievement,  the  losses  in  killed 
and  wounded  were  about  500*  on  either  side  ;  but 
we  took  385  prisoners.  Among  the  mortally 
wounded,  we  had  to  mourn  the  three  gallant 
leaders  of  Porter's  divisions — Davis,  Gibson  and 
AVood.  "  Thus,''  said  Brown,  in  his  official  des- 
patch, "  one  thousand  regulai's  and  an  equal  portion 
of  militia,  in  one  hour  of  close  action,  blasted  the 


*  Miijor-Goneral  Sir  Jiiiiiea  Cannicliael-Sniytli  in  liis  Precis  of  tlio  Wars 
of  Cuniida,  says  :  "Tlie  nritish  iiad  GOD  oIHclts  ami  men  killed  and 
wounded  ;  the  Americans  510," 


JIA.TOli    DAVID    BATES    DOUGLASS. 


253 


^  to 

the, 
lead 
:  up 
Uip- 

and 

our 

1 7  til, 
)rks  ; 
I   the 
y  had 
d  the 
o;uns  ; 
of  de- 
attery 
iuune- 
to  the 
U)ue, 
and 

killed 

;  l)ut 

)rtally 

•  allaiit 

[1    and 

|l    des- 

jortioii 

led  the 


Ihe  Wars 
lilletl  anil 


hopes  of  tlie  enemy,  destrt)}'ed  the  fruits  of  fifty 
days'  labor,  and  diminished  his  effective  force  one 
thousand  men  at  least."  Jesu]>,  subsequently  the 
Quartermaster-General  of  our  Army,  says:  "Tlie 
st)rtie  from  Foi't  Erie  was  l)y  far  the  most  splendid 
acliievement  of  the  cam])aiLi:n,  whether  we  consider 
the  boldness  of  the  conception,  the  excellence  of  the 
plan,  or  the  a])ility  with  which  it  was  executed." 
And  Napier,  rcfei'ring  to  it  in  his  "  Peninsula  AV^ar," 
speaks  of  it  as  "  tlie  only  instance  in  liistory  where 
a  besieii;ini;'  army  was  entirely  broken  u[)  and  routed 
by  a  sino'le  sortie." 

Drnnunond  broke  up  his  encamjmient  duriuijc 
the  ni<2;lit  of  the  21st,  and  retired  to  his  intrench- 
ments  behind  the  Chi})])ewa;  and  so  ])recipitate  was 
his  retreat  that  he  altandoned  some  of  his  stores 
in  front  of  Fort  Ki'ie,  and  <lestroyed  <»tlu'i's  at  Fi'ench- 
man's  Creek. 

C'hi])pewa,  Niauara,  lMattsl)nri;',  and  Fort  Erie 
will  ever  remain  j)roud  names  to  conunemoi'ate  the 
Campaign  of  1814,  and  make  us  almost  ftu'get  tlie 
sad  disasters  of  lSli>  and  \S\:\. 

Douglass'  ex[)osures,  privations,  fatigues,  and 
anxieties  in  this  eventful  campaign,  proved  too  great 
for  him.  After  making  a  survey  of  our  works  at 
Fort  Erie,  Colonel  McRee,  towards  the  end  of  Octo- 
ber, ordered  him  from  the  field  while  ]>rostrated  by 
a  bilious  fever,  from  which,  thanks  to  liis  tem[)erate 
habits  and  a  vigorous  constitution,  he  gradually 
i-ecovered,  though  nevei-  |)ei'manently. 

For  his  "  distinguished  and  meritorious  services 
in    the  Defense  of    Fort   Erie,    U.  C,"  Lieutenant 


ff 


if: 


ml 


i; 


\  ^ 


254 


SIKGE  AND  DKFEXS?:  OF  FOltT  KlUE  IN  1814. 


Douglass  was  brevetted  a  C^aptain  to  date  from 
Sept.  17,  1814.  Late  in  1814,  lie  was  detailed  for 
duty  with  tlie  army  then  organizing  against  Castine, 
when  the  proclamation  of  peace  changed  his  destina- 
tion toAVest  Point,  where  he  became,  January  1, 181;"), 
the  Principal  Assistant  Professor  of  Natural  and  Ex- 
perimental Philosophy  in  the  Military  Academy. 

For  his  new  career  he  was  admirably  suited,  both 
in  his  love  for  science  and  a})titude  for  its  teaching. 
At  this  time  the  ^Military  Academy,  under  connnand 
of  Captain  Partridge  the  senior  engineer  oflicer 
present,  was  in  a  ratliei-  chaotic  condition.  Doug- 
lass, fresh  from  Yale  (College,  where  ordei'  and  sys- 
tem existed,  determined,  with  the  aid  of  the  other 
members  of  the  Academic  Staff,  having  like  views, 
to  use  every  effort  to  effect  a  radical  change.  The 
opportunity  soon  presented  itself,  he,  as  senior 
engineer  in  the  absence  of  Captain  Partridge,  ])ei'- 
suaded  himself  that  it  was  proj)er  to  do  wrong,  in 
usurj)ing  power  not  belonging  to  a  temjun'ary  com- 
mander, to  accomplish  a  great  good  to  the  Military 
Academy.  Accordingly,  so  soon  as  Partridge  had 
left  West  Point  for  Washington,  Douglass,  Oct.  30, 
1815,  issued  a  circular  re(|Uesting  "the  Professors,  the 
Assistant  Professors  and  Teachei's  of  the  Military 
Academy,  as  a  body,  to  deliberate  on  the  propriety 
of  arraiii^iiiii:  a  course  of  study  for  the  Academv, 
and  of  casting  the  cadets  into  grades,  according  to 
their  progress  in  that  course ;  also  on  the  i)ro[)i'iety 
of  di'aw'lng  up  a  code  of  regulations  for  the  govei'ii- 
nient  of  the  Academic  Start'  in  their  ])rofessional 
duties,  and  on  such   other  subjects   connected  with 


MAJOR    DAVID    IJATKS    DOUGLASS. 


255 


ao, 

lie. 
Iiry 

iiy, 

to 

irn- 
ml 
ItU 


the  interests  of  the  Staff  as  they  might  tliiiik  proper/' 
The  Academic  Staff  met  that  evening,  agreed  upon 
a  general  outline  c^f  a  course  of  study,  and  recom- 
mended a  chissitication  of  cadets  by  means  of  an 
examination  which  Douglass,  tlie  next  day,  ordered 
to  be  held  at  once.  After  a  continuance  of  this 
examination,  for  nine  days,  more  than  eighty  of  the 
cadets  were  reported  as  "not  (pialified  agreeably  to 
law  to  enter  U[)on  the  Academic  course,''  though  its 
re(iuirements  were  very  small.  Douglass'  reign  as 
Acting  Superintendent  was  shoi't ;  but  it  produced 
good  fruit.  Though  Partridge,  on  liis  return,  disaj)- 
proved  of  all  his  suboi'dinate's  ju-oceedings,  he,  in 
December  following,  ordered  an  examination  to  take 
place  before  an  invited  Board  of  Visitors,  which 
practically  ado|)ted  Douglass' views.  Accordingly, 
an  order  was  issued  by  the  Chief  Engineer  to  the 
Acting  Superinten<lent  and  Academic  Staff*  to  i)re- 
])are  and  reconniiend  a  coui'se  of  instruction.  The 
after  wrangles  between  Partridge  and  the  Academic 
Staff*  it  is  not  [tertineiit  to  exhibit  in  this  ])lace. 
Sufhce  it  to  sav,  that  Brevet  Major  Svlvanus  Thaver 
superseded  Captain  Partridge,  becoming  Sujteriu- 
tendent  of  the  Militarv  Academv  Julv  28,  1H17, 
from  which  day  (hites  the  beginning  of  the  glorious 
career  of  the  Institution. 

l'j)on  the  death  of  .Vndrew  KUicott,  August  21), 
1820,  his  son-in-law  Douglass  succeeded  him,  as 
Professor  (^f  ]\[atliematics  in  the  Military  Academy 
and  vacated  his  conunissioii  of  ('a[)tain  of  En- 
gineers, to  which  grade  he  had  been  promoted 
March  .'U,  181  i>.     Tlie  text   books   in  Mathematics, 


III 


smam 


'*    t 


,, 


<;   1 

1 

1 

■    : 

1 

[! 

j    1 

•    ' 

(:" 

256        SIEGE  AND  PEFEXSE  OF  FORT  EKTE  IN  1814. 

whicli  had  been  used  in  the  Academy,  were  derived 
from  English  sources  and  constructed  on  the  synthetic 
plan.  Even  Algebra  was  not  taught  analytically ; 
the  Dift'erential  and  Integral  Calculus  had  not  been 
introduced  ;  and  a  moderate  modicum  of  Mathemat- 
ics sufficed,  till  young,  living  energy  had  been  infused 
into  the  institution  by  Major  Thayer's  superinten- 
dency  and  Douglass'  promotion.  The  former,  while 
abroad  examining  educational  estaldishments,  ha<l 
become  enamored  of  the  analytical  method  of  in- 
struction, and  the  latter  fully  appreciated  its  value. 
Hence,  at  once,  were  adopted  for  the  lowei"  classes, 
tlie  elementary  text  books  which  had  recently  been 
translated  from  the  French  into  English  l)y  Professor 
Farrar  of  IIal'^■ar(l ;  the  higher  branches  being  studied 
lu  the  original  language  by  the  more  advanced 
cadets.  This  was  a  great  step  in  the  })rogress  of 
scientific  education  at  West  Point,  by  wliidi  the 
Military  Academy  greatly  profits  to  this  day. 

ll]>(>n  the  resignation  of  Professor  Chuide  Crozet, 
educated  at  the  celebrated  Polytechnic  School  of 
Paris,  and  who  had  served  under  the  great  Napoleon 
as  an  artillery  officer,  Douglass  was  ti'ansferred. 
May  1,  1828,  to  the  chair  of  Civil  and  Military  En- 
gineering. This  change  was  much  to  his  taste,  for, 
though  fond  of  mathematical  instruction,  the  bent 
of  his  genius  led  to  the  science  of  construction,  for 
which  he  had  lull  scope  in  his  new  professorship. 
Crozet  liad  done  nuich,  particularly  in  Descriptive 
Geometi'y  as  elementarv  to  Em^ineerino: ;  but  as 
there  wer<'  no  text  books  on  the  subject,  almost 
everything  had  to  be  taught  by  lectures.     Few  public 


L 


UfAJOR    PAYID    HATKS    DOT'OLASS. 


)ii)l 


works  then  existed  in  tliis  eonntiy,  .'ind  few  pnbli- 
cations  had  reached  ns  ofivino;  the  results  of  Euro- 
pean  constniction  ;  lience  tlie  new  Professor  liad  to 
supply  deficiencies  by  unremitting  labor  in  compi- 
ling information  from  every  available  source  for  his 
lectures,  often  of  three  hours'  dnrati(>n,  given  at  the 
black-board.  By  great  assiduity  lie  soon  I'educed 
this  department  of  instruction  to  a  practical  system, 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  service  and  the  neces- 
sities of  the  country.  His  eleves,  of  whom  he  was 
justly  proud,  were  such  eminent  engineers  and  sci- 
entists as  Mahan,  Bache,  Bowman,  Brown,  Bartlett, 
Childe,  Church,  Mason,  Lee,  Swift,  and  the  many 
who  subsecpiently  profited  l)y  his  instruction  on  the 
l)attle-fields  of  Mexico. 

Douglass,  in  his  sixteen  gears'  service  at  the  j\Til- 
itary  Academy,  had  ac(|uired  such  a  scientific  re})U- 
tation  that  his  professional  advice  was  often  in  re(|ui- 
sition.  While  on  leave  of  absence  from  the  Mili- 
tary Academy,  dui'ing  the  sunnner  vacation  of  l<Slt), 
he  was  the  Astronomical  Survey oi'  of  the  Commis- 
sioners for  determininjT:  the  U.  S.  Boundary  from 
Niagara  to  Detroit,  and,  the  following  summer,  he 
accompanied  Governor  Cass,  in  a  similar  capacity,  to 
the  Northwest ;  during  his  [sunnner  vacations  from 
1826  to  1880,  as  Consulting  Engineer  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  he  was  employed  upon  the  Conneaut 
and  Lake  Erie  Canal,  French  Creek  feeder,  Upi)er 
Delaware  Canal,  and  the  terminus  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia Railroad  ;  directed  other  state  improvements, 
such  as  the  Sandy  and  J^eaver  Canal  in  Ohio  ;  and 
declined  several  distinguished  positions,  besides  the 


#   '■ 

'i   :' 

V: 


I 


i(..  ; 


'J 


258        SIEGE  AM)  DKI'ENSE  OF  FOltT  ETIIE  IN  1814. 

Chief  Eiigiiieei'sliip  of  three  States.  It  was  duriiiij^ 
one  of  tliese  suiiiiiier  vacations  tliat  lie  became  con- 
nected with  tlie  A[ori'is  Canal  C/ompany  of  New 
Jersey,  lor  the  purpose  of  ])ringing  inclined  planes 
into  effective  operation  in  lieu  of  locks  for  canal 
naviff-ation ;  and  not  l^eino-  able  to  ijjet  an  extended 
leave  of  abseuce,  he  resigned  liis  Professorship  in 
the  ]\[ilitary  Academy,  May  1,  182.S,  to  accept  the 
Chief  Engineershi[)  of  this  important  work  which 
he  successfully  carried  out  to  a  practical  result. 

In  18-S'2,  he  was  ap[)ointed  Professor  of  Natural 
Philosophy  in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  then  startino-  into  life  with  lar<i:e  plans  and  hiixh 
expectations  ;  but  tinding  his  professorship  to  inter- 
fere with  his  engineei'ing  pursuits,  he  relin([uislied 
this  position  after  one  year's  duty,  though  he  was 
borne  on  the  rolls,  till  1840,  as  Professor  of  Civil 
EuLrineeriiiii:  and  Architecture,  durino;  which  time 
he  (lelivered  eighty  lectures  on  these  su})jects.  The 
beautiful  building  of  the  University,  on  AVashing- 
ton  8(piare,  New  York  City,  was  erected  tVom  his 
designs. 

In  183.S,  he  was  the  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Brooklyn  and  Jamaica  Railroad,  on  Long  Island,  N.Y. 

Eor  nearly  sixty  years,  the  subject  of  supjdying 
the  City  of  New  York  with  pure  water  had  agi- 
tated the  public  mind,  and  various  projects  had  been 
]»roposed  to  ])ring  it  from  Manhattan  Island  creeks, 
Bronx  river,  Ilye  ]»onds,  streams  in  New  Jersey  and 
Connecticut,  the  upper  Hudson,  and,  finally,  in  an 
o[)en  canal  from  Croton  river.  In  1832,  the  Asiatic 
cholera  "was  very  severe  in  New  York,  while  Phila- 


Il  ! 


u! 


MAJOR   BAYID    BATES    DOT^GLASS. 


259 


delpliia,  bountifully  supplied  witli  Scliuylkill  river 
water,  suffered  little.  This  fact  and  tlie  proof  that 
one  hundred  tons  of  excrement  daily  poisoned  the 
wells  of  New  York,  gave  the  crowning  impulse  to 
the  great  question  of  ^vater  supply  for  the  city. 

In  February,  188.S,  Water  Commissioners  were 
appointed  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  who  em- 
ployed Mr.  Canvass  White,  an  experienced  engineer, 
and  Major  Douglass  "  to  make  separate  and  distinct 
examinations  of  the  Croton,  Sawmill  and  Bronx 
rivers,  in  tlie  counties  of  Westchester  and  Putnam, 
together  with  their  several  tributaries  ;  to  provide 
the  Conunissioners  with  a  map  and  ])rotile  of  the 
country;  and  their  opinion  of  the  (juality  of  the 
water,  the  supply  that  might  be  dej)ended  on  in  all 
seasons,  and  the  pi'acticability  of  conveying  it  to 
the  city  at  an  elevation  of  sutHcient  height  to  pre- 
clude the  use  of  machinery,  and  answer  all  the  ])ur- 
[loses  contem])lated."  They  were  also  instructed  to 
desio-nate  the  best  and  most  feasible  route  foi'  con- 
ducting  the  water,  the  most  tit  and  proper  manner 
for  constructing  the  conduits  and  reservoirs,  the 
pro])able  amount  of  damage  that  would  l)e  sustained 
by  the  pro[)rietors  of  the  water  to  be  taken,  and  of 
the  land  it  might  be  necessary  to  occupy  in  the  con- 
struction, toi»:ether  with  the  total  amount  of  cost  to 
the  city  for  completing  and  putting  in  opei'ation  the 
whole  pi'oject. 

Other  enoau'ements  i)revented  Mr.  AVhite  from 
performing  his  allotted  })art ;  conse(piently,  all  the 
preliminary  examinations  and  extended  surveys  de- 
volved   upon    Major    Douglass.     In    ten    weeks  lie 


^Tr 


''        H 


h 


200        SIEGE  AND  DEFENSE  OF  FOP.T  ERIE  IN  1814. 

completed  them  and  demonstrated  tlie  practicability 
of  the  ]H'oject ;  and,  Nov.  1,  1888,  submitted  his 
I'eport,  Avitli  ])lans  and  estimates,  to  the  AVater  Com- 
missioners, who,  on  the  12th,  forwarded  it,  with 
their  full  aj)proval,  to  the.  Common  Council.  Tlie 
re])ort  reco^unended  the  use  of  the  Croton  river 
and  its  tributaries,  the  water  to  be  conveyt^d  by  an 
enclosed  masonr\'  a(|iieduct,  as  cheaper  and  more 
(hirabh^  than  ii'on  pil>es,  of  thirty-seven  miles  long- 
to  ^Manhattanville,  and  tive  and  a  half  from  thence  to 
tlie  Distributinii'  Reservoir,  including  an  aqueduct 
bridge  across  Harlem  river,  1,180  feet  long,  and  120 
feet  high  above  the  foundations  of  the  piers  support- 
ing nine  semi-circular  arches. 

The  ('ity  of  New  York  was  jubilant  over  the 
solution  of  tlie  great  problem  ;  the  State  Legislature, 
May  18,  1884,  authorized  the  work;  the  people,  at 
the  sju'ing election  of  1885,  endorsed  it;  Commission- 
ers were  permanently  organized  ;  and  Douglass  was 
unanimously  appointed  the  C^hief  Engineer.  With 
an  inadeqnate  force,  he  began,  in  July,  1885,  accord- 
ingly, to  lay  out  the  boundary  of  the  Croton  reser- 
voir and  the  line  of  the  aijueduct  over  the  nmgli 
region  near  the  Hudson ;  and,  early  in  October,  the 
locati(m  of  the  Crotxm  dam  was  completed,  to  which 
the  Commissioners  objected  and  changed  it,  as  also 
its  height,  to  GarretsonV  Mill. 

Durini"-  the  winter,  Douijlass  was  en2:a2:ed  in 
oflice-work  which  brought  him  more  frequently  in 
contact  witli  the  (■omiiiissioners,  who  could  not,  or 
would  not  appreciate  the  scientiHc  character  of  this 
great  work;  who  interfered  with  the  discipline  over 


MAJOR    DAVID    HATKS    DOUGLASS. 


201 


siil)()i'(liii{ites  ;  were  iinwillijig  to  establish  an  engineer 
(lejuirtment  nnd  define  Douglass' prerogatives;  and, 
in  fine,  treated  tliis  vast  undertaking  as  little  more 
tlian  an  extended  job  of  plain  masonry,  wliicli 
miglit  be  carried  on  at  triHing  exi)ense. 

In  the  spring  of  188(5,  Douglass,  witli  his  small 
force,  was  again  in  the  field  (•om])leting  liis  surveys 
prepai'atory  to  adjusting  tlie  claims  of  proprietors  of 
lands  to  be  used  for  tlie  woi'ks.  AVhile  thus  engaged 
in  tlie  field,  the  Conunissioners  were  plotting  in  the 
city.  Suddenly,  without  making  any  charges  against 
the  Chief  Engineer,  the  Conunissioners  passed  a  reso- 
lution removing  Douglass,  Nov.  4,  ls;}(i,and  appointed 
as  his  successor  a  gentleman  with  whom  it  appears 
they  had  been  in  correspondence  for  some  time. 

The  change  of  engineers,  however,  effected  no 
material  change  in  the  a(|ueduct,  exce[)t  of  the 
Crotoii  dam,  as  a  plausible  pretext  for  their  ai'bitrary 
act,  which  was  built  after  three  years  of  lal)or,  and, 
before  another  was  at  an  end,  \vas  s^vept  a\\'ay  by  a 
freshet. 

Major  Douglass,  says  the  late  Rev.  Di-.  Hale, 
"had  entered  ii|»on  the  survey  and  plans  for  this 
great  work  with  (diaracteristic  enthusiasm.  He  saw 
it  in  idea,  rivalling  the  most  celebrated  of  ancient  or 
modern  times,  the  glory  of  the  city  and  his  own. 
The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  its  construction  only 
stimulated  his  ingenuity,  and  furnished  so  many 
opportunities  for  dis[)laying  the  skill  which  could 
ov^ercome  them.  He  saw  them  and  saw  through 
them.  He  was  master  of  the  science  of  construction, 
and  he  hoped  to  erect  a  work  ^vhich  would  not  only 


2n"2        SIKOE  AND  DKKKXSK  OF  FOHT  KKIK  IN    18U. 

last  for  centuries,  1)ut  n))()n  wliicli  for  a  contiiry  at 
least  tlie  liamiiier  of  tlie  rej)airer  should  liave  no 
occasion  to  Ix'  lieai'd.  Tliis  concc^ption  of  n  ])erfect 
and  |)erniMnent  woi'k  lie  (Mnlenvored  to  connnunicate 
to  tlie  ConunissioiuM's,  nnd  fully  ]»ersinided  that  no 


sucli  woi'k  cou 


Id  1) 


acconiplis 


lied 


on  tlie  conunon 


system  of  contracts,  and   esju'cially  wIkmi  contracts 


are   iriven 


fi 


IVOl'S. 


Hut  riirlit   vr 


wi'oni;,  liis  concejytions  \vei'<'  not  the  conceptions  of 


the  ( 


oimnissioners. 


II 


is  Niews  wei'e  no 


ttl 


leir  \i(nvs. 


lie  was  for  them  an  impracticable  man,  *  *  * 
"  lie  felt  deej)ly  this  disappointment  of  his  hopes  ; 
this  check  in  his  professional  career.  He  knew  that 
his  reputation  must  be  assailed  for  the  vindication  of 
those  who  had  intlicted  upon  him  this  injury;  but 
he  bore  all  with  ^-reat  resionation,  assured  of  the 
respect  of  those  who  best  knew  how  to  a[)preciate 
his  merit,  and  conHdent  too,  that   time  which  spares 


no  im[K'i 


■feet 


work,  would  vindicate  h 


us  plans 


1 


Douijlass'  next  ])ubric  work  was  the  Greenwood 
Cemetery  on  Lonii'  Island,  X.  V.,  of  which  he  oi'liri- 
riated  the  iirst  distinct  idea  ;  was  active  in  it  from 
the  besTjinninii:,  becominii;  the  tirst  President  of  the 
corporation;  and,  in  ls;i*»-4(),  laid  out  the  grounds 
with  geometrical   skill,  showing  his   perfect  knowl- 


edtre  o 


f  th 


le  relations  o 


f  lin 


es,  SI 


irfi 


ices   an( 


I  f 


orms, 


cond)ined  with  the  highest  ai'tistic  beauty.  His 
work  at  Greenwood,  so  varied  in  landscape  and  so 
retined  in  taste,  has  given  ])leasure  to  thousands ; 
has  taken  from  death  its  desolation  ;  and  has  been 
the  prototype  Necropolis  of  many  throughout  our 
country  and  Canada. 


:MA.I()n     DAVID     IJAI'KS    J)()r«iLASS. 


J  03 


wood 
oriL^i- 
fi'oiu 
r  the 
DUiids 
inowl- 
ornis, 
His 
11  id  so 
ijviids  ; 
l)eeii 
t   our 


Willie  I*ivsid('ii(  of  ( Jiccnwood  Ceiiietery  Asso- 
c'i.'ition,  Mild  [tract iciiii;'  liis  jirofcssioii  of  Civil  Kiii;i- 
iieer,  lie   \v;is  elected    President    of   KeiiNoii   ('»»Ileu'e, 


wliicli  lie  ju'cep 


ted. 


UIK 


1   ill    is  II,    ivi 


llO\(M 


1     to  ( 


l.-llll- 


bier,  Ohio,  when  lie  coimiieiiced  his  lahoi's  in  the 
institution  with  ureat  eaniestiM^ss  and  industry,  in 
aiitici[>ation  of  a  loiii^  career  of  usefulness  in  a 
sjiliere  for  which  he  was  so  well  suited  l»y  taste  and 
e.\|)erieiice.  Here  he  flattered  himself  that  he  was 
to  spend  the  reinaiuder  of  his  days  away  from  the 
collisions  of  party  strife,  the  coiiliicts  of  pecuniary 
interest,  and  the  rivahMes  of  low  ambition.  Hut  his 
al)0(h^  ill  liis  new  arena  of  actixity  was  of  scarce 
three  years'  duration,  lie  beiiiij;  suddenly,  Feb.  l\), 
1844,  removed  from  his  office,  which  he  had  declined 
to  resign,  because  no  charges  were  jtreferred  auainst 
him.  A  committee  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  wliicli 
speaks  of  Douglass  as  "a  most  excellent  man,  well 
worthy  of  universal  '  respect  and  afb^'tion,"  de- 
clared him  inipojnihd'^  ])ut,  "  in  regard  to  the  justice 
of  this  difficulty,  they  do  not  pretend  to  speak." 
To  be  un[)opular  with  students  is  so  universal,  when 
a  President  exercises  a  rigid  discipline  in  the  j)er- 
formance  of  a  very  responsible  duty  towards  the 
institution  of  which  he  is  the  head,  that  few,  who 
have  had  to  deal  with  unreasoning  college-boys, 
consulting  their  own  more  than  the  interests  of 
their  Alma  Mater,  would  attach  the  slightest  im- 
portance to  such  a  charge.  True  or  false,  however,  no 
])ro()f  was  alleged,  and,  certainly,  it  was  a  most  arbi- 
trary l)roceediiig  to  be  judge,  jury  and  executioner  of 
one  against   whom  they  admitted,  "nothing  at  all  " 


'v 


i  i:; 


/I 
i    I'.j: 


204 


SIK(iK  AM)  l)i:i'"KNSK  OF   KoItT   KlUK  IN   1811. 


mi 


was  imputed,  wliicli  consiMUHMitlvMUVcliKlcd  Doui^luss 
from  mnkiiiij  any  defense.  Of  tlie  i-eul  animus  for  liis 
removal,  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak  in  tliis  l)rief  sketeli. 

After  tliis  untoward  event,  Douglass  surveyed 
and  j)rej)ared  the  gr()unds  for  several  ])urial  places, 
for  wliicli  work  he  had  shown  such  aptitude  at  Green- 
wood. In  184r)-('),  he  laid  out  a  beautiful  neci'opo- 
lis  neai'  Albany,  N.  Y. ;  in  1S47,  developed  the  land- 
sea]  )e  feat  ui-es  of  Staten  Island;  and,  in  1<S48,  pro- 
jecte<l  the  Protestant  Cemetery,  at  (Quebec,  Canada. 

While  eni^aijred  in  this  latter  work,  he  was 
elected  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Phil- 
osophy in  (ieneva  (\>llege,  N.  Y.  Though  tlie 
salary  was  small,  and  he  had  more  lucrative  oft'ei's, 
the  desire,  at  his  age,  to  have  a  fixed  home  for  liis 
family,  in<biced  him  i)romj)tly  to  accept  the  office 
U[)on  which  he  entered,  Oct.  1(>,  1848,  with  high 
hopes  of  sowing,  in  youthful  heads  and  liearts,  tlie 
seeds  of  ti'ue  wisdom  and  sound  principles  garnered 
ui>  in  his  own  treasure-house  by  h)nif  years  of  close 
study,  deep  reflection  and  varied  experience.  Here 
he  continued  his  congenial  duties  till  towards  the 
close  of  the  college  year,  when  the  effects  of  his  Fort 
Fji'ie  exposure,  in  1814,  and  a  recent  fall  at  Quebec, 
produced  symptoms  of  a  malady  which  carried  him 
to  his  grave,  Octol)er  21,  1841),  in  the  sixtieth  year 
of  his  eventful  and  active  life. 

We  cannot  better  conclude  this  sketcli  of  this 
distinguished  teacher,  notable  scientist,  eminent  en- 
giiieer,  and  sincere  Christian,  than  in  the  words  of 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Hale,  President  of  the  college  in 
which  Douglass  Avas  a  prominent  professor: 


r 


m 


MA.F(U{    h.WII)    MATKS    l>ol  GLASS. 


265 


tl 


m 


bt  en- 
Is  of 


te    lu 


"  His  l)i<><;;ini»li_\,  fully  written  fi'oiii  such  mate- 
rials  as  arc  left  in  liis  \  (dmriiiious  pajx'rs  and  corres- 
poiHlciice  and  nii<::lit  be  u'atlu'icil  fioiii  the  recol- 
It'ction  of  his  conversations,  joined  to  an  exhibition 
(»f  his  laboi's,  would  speak  to  the  heai'ts  of  tlie 
youiiii;  and  ijjenerous,  and  inspire  them  with  an  am- 
bition in  wliich  then'  would  lie  neither  seltishness 
nor  hai'dness.  He  united,  in  a  rcmai'kalde  det^ree, 
the  ii'entleiiess  of  the  cliild  to  the  courau'c  of  tlie 
soldier — the  freshest  interest  in  whatever  was  in- 
tei'cstiuiji:  of  those  around  him  (o  the  hi<jf]iest  powei' 
of  scientific  a])straction,  jierfect  simplicitv  to  the 
most  ])olished  manners,  and  hin'h  enjoyment  of  the 
innocent  i)leasurt's  of  tliis  life  to  the  elevated  devo- 
tion, tlie  self-denyiui::  life  and  earnest  ho])e  of  tlie 
CliJ'istian.  AVliat  he  was  he  appeared  witliout  any 
politic  disL!;uises  ;  what  he  thought  he  said,  some- 
times with  an  unwary  frankness ;  and  what  he 
thought  it  his  duty  to  do  in  the  position  in  which 
tlie  ])rovidence  of  (Jod  had  [>laced  him,  he  did  witli 
all  his  might,  simply  and  earnestly.  We  have  in 
this  character  the  key  to  liis  life.  With  a  tithe  of 
his  ca])acity  and  attainments,  many  a  man  has  ac- 
complished more  for  himself,  though  not  for  the 
public — nioi'e,  that  is,  if  we  judge  as  men  usually 
judge,  tVom  fortunes  accunudated  and  high  places 
secured."  Of  Douglass'  stamj)  of  mind,  and  his 
a])ilitv  to  instruct,  he  elsewhere  savs:  '' Bv  the 
cast  of  his  mind  and  the  <[ualities  of  his  heart,  no  less 
than  by  the  extent  of  his  attainments,  he  was  fitted 
to  be  a  teacher.  lie  had  a  I'ai-e  facility  in  acquiring 
knowledge  and  making  himself  master  of  it  in  all  its 


m 


I.    !■ 


f 


i 


! 


If 


I 


llf 


266        SIEGE  AND  DEFENSE  OF  FOUT  ERIE  IN  1814. 

broadest  ])riiieiples  and  minutest  details ;  l)nt  it  seemed 
tile  <i;i'eatest  pleasure  and  the  peculiar  tendency  of  his 
mind  to  impart  it.  lie  loved  hooks,  but  if  I  may  judge 
from  my  ac(piaintance  witli  him,  which  was  intimate, 
lie  \\as  less  a  reader  than  a  thinker.  lie  looked  rever- 
ently upon  books — books  which  he  desii-ed  and 
s<  night — and  read  them,  not  for  amusement,  but  a  seri- 
ous occupation  for  his  mind  and  heai't.  lie  read, 
therefore,  not  superiiciall\',  but  intently,  as  he  would 
have  listened  to  the  voice  of  a  te;iclier  in  answer  to 
earnest  and  important  iiK^uiries.  lie  possessed 
great  jKiwers  of  analysis,  which  he  exercised,  not  in 
a  captious  or  doubting  spirit,  but  that  he  might 
better  know  and  form  the  material  whereon  to 
exercise  that  faculty  of  his  intellect  which  was 
more  peculiarly  his  characteristic,  the  constructive 
talent.  Hence,  whatever  he  knew,  he  knew  tlor- 
oughly  and  systematically.  Hence,  his  views,  his 
opinions,  his  aims,  were  .all  definite.  Hence  the 
depth  and  clearness  of  his  instruction.  Htnce,  in 
conversation,  he  was  still  the  teacher,  and,  without 
any  of  the  forms  of  argument,  his  discoui'se,  clear 
in  its  light,  Avas  full  of  information." 


i 


1 


■i        >!'■• 


iiied 
'  his 
1(1  ge 
iiate, 
3ver- 

aud 
seri- 
I'ead, 
oiild 
er  to 
^ssed 
)t  ill 
liglit 
n    to 

was 
ctive 
tlior- 
1,  his 
'  the 
'.e,  ill 
:hoiit 
clear 


ii  I'  i; 


\'l 


Noi  |-.  — Ill  till'  ^111.1 1  Icr  ~r.  tic  HI  n(  I  111-.  iii.i|i,  the  |Mi-,iiii>ii  1. 1  I  .•rt.iin  ||(m>|is  .irc  imli'  .ili-il  a^  follou  s  :  .">,  Sc'  "ii'^ 
regimi-'nt  nf  Smitli's  liii;;a(U'  ;  Ii,  M.ijni  I'l  ti  r\  liMtlciy  ;  i,  M.ijnr  Waniiy's  luiit^linii  ;  S,  Sc otl'-,  rcj;uliir>  ;  H, '  "Hi- 
paiiics  iif  Sliill  ami  DaviilMiii  ;  1(1,  Kazan's  icuimciu  ;  1 1,  Si  luil/'s  ;  I'.',  Kifili  lialliiiiuie  rcj^imcnt ;  PJ,  Ilunh'i 
artillery  ;  10,  (Militia  and  Killcmon  ;  17,  I!alliiinirc  artillery  ;  ami  'Jtl,  ilii-  Hiiii>l,. 


nor, 


(^\ 


"ctr, 


'"A 


''^^Tot 


"^^^y. 


CUWTVAl    SKVFATli. 

CHESAPEAKE    CAMPAIGN    OF    1S1;}-14  ; 

WITH    A   lilOGRAl'lHCAL    SKKTCII    OF 

15RIG.-GENERAI.    WALKER    K.   ARMISTEAI). 


AQUA  SCO 


A 


BCNEOICT 


Ifollows  ;  5,  S.-i.a 


KN<;r-ANi>,  in  ISI.'),  liaviiiu"  h<>  siiiplus  troops  to 
spurt'  from  licr  li'reat  Kiir(»|)e;ui  i-oiitcst,  and  \\  islilug 
to  divert  our  forces  fj'oiii  an  invasion  of  C^mada, 
<leterniiiied  to  use  lier  navv  t(»  Moekade  our  coast, 
lay  waste  our  sea-])oard,  l)urn  our  dock-yards,  and 
destroy  oui"  sliIpj)inL'".  A  tit  instrument  for  tliis 
maraudiui;'  warfare  slie  found  in  Hear  .Vdmiral  Sir 
(Jeorge  Cocl<l)urii,  second  in  conmiaml  on  tlie  Aniei'i- 
can  waters,  wlio,  under  the  I^ritisli  ( ))'der  in  Council 
of  I)ecend)er  iMi,  ISl'J,  declared  tlie  Cliesajteake  and 
DelaAvare  Hays  in  a  state  of  rigorous  l)locka<le,  and, 
February  4,  181,S,  entered  the  Virginia  (\'ipes  with 
+'our  74-gun  shij>s,  se\eral  smaller  arnu'd  vessels,  and 
a  good  supply  of  surf-boats  for  landing  on  the 
defenseless  shoi'es.  ( )n  boai'd  (»f  this  tleet  was  a  land 
force  of  about  1,S0()  foicign  i'enega<les,  called 
Chasseurs  Hrittani([ue,  enlisted  in  Sjiain  tVom  among 
the  ])risoners  and  vagabonds  taken  oi-  tbund  there, 
who  j)i'efei-red  to  engage  in  the  British  mai'ine  service 
to  i-isking  prolonged  continement  in  Dartmooi'  jtrison. 

While  some  of  the  smaller  vessels   under  Com- 


^1 


n 


11 


{ 

i 


i 

,  :: 

!■ 

i    i^ 

H 

i  i' 

H 

'  <v 

■ 

:! 

H 

'    K 

1 

■    t 

ffi 

"    >' 

270 


CHESAPEAKE    CAMPAKIN    OF    181:5-14. 


uuxlore  Beresford,  visiting  tlie  Delaware  shore,  were 
utterly  foiled  in  their  predatory  enterprises,  Admii'al 
Cockburn  took  position  in  Lynnhaven  Bay,  from 
Avhic'h  he  sent  forth  marauding  expeditions  to  burn 
farm-houses,  seize  cattle,  capture  negroes,  and  carry 
on  every  species  of  uncivilized  warfare  against  a 
sparse  prpulatioii  scattered  along  the  shores  and 
having  no  means  of  defense. 

Emboldened  by  the  success  of  a  more  honorable 
exj)loit  in  the  capture  of  our  privateer  Dolphin  in 
the  liai)pahannock,  April  8,  1818,  he  resolved  to 
engage  in  more  ambitious  adventures,  such  as  plun- 
derinji:  and  burninij:  defenseless  villaiifes  and  hamlets 
about  the  head  of  the  Chesapeake.  For  months  was 
the  British  trident  trailed  in  the  mire,  and  the  after 
companion  of  the  Prince  Regent  of  Great  Britain 
disgraced  by  the  destruction  of  market-shallops, 
oyster-boats,  and  pleasure-l)arges,  the  burning  of 
barns,  bridges,  cottages  and  stables,  and  the  midnight 
plundering  of  uin)rotected  dwellings. 

On  the  tirst  of  June,  the  piratical  Admiral 
having  received  a  (H)nsideral)le  naval  re-enforcement, 
and  })erhai)s  sated  with  the  contemptible  warfare 
which  he  had  waged  against  uni»rotected  tire-sides, 
made  the  bold  resolve  of  attacking  Norfolk  and  our 
tlotilla,  consisting  of  the  frigate  Constellation  and 
twenty  gun-boats  in  Hampton  Roads,  or,  more 
pi'operly  speaking,  tlie  mouth  of  Eliza1)eth  River,  the 
feeble  defenses  of  which  had  been  streiiLfthened  and 
new  batteries  atlded  by  Lieut.-Colonel  Armistead, 
the  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Chesapeake,  of  whom  we 
will  ijive  a  brief  sketcli. 


HliIG.-OJ:NEltAL    WALKKU    K.    AKMISTEAD. 


271 


Walter  Keith  Armistead  was  born  about  1782, 
in  Virginia ;  descended  from  excellent  stock;  was 
api)ointed,  May  1,  1801,  a  Cadet  of  Ai'tillei-ists 
and  Engineers ;  joined  the  Military  Academy  upon 
its  lirst  organization  in  1802  ;  and  was  graduated 
from  that  institution,  March  5,  1808,  when  he  was 
})romoted  to  be  a  Second  Lieutenant,  Cor})S  of 
Engineers,  U.  S.  Army.  He  served  at  Norfolk, 
Va^,  and  West  Point,  N.  Y.,  till  October,  1812, 
when  he  became  Chief  Enu:ineer  to    Major-General 

C?  ft 

Henry  Dearborn,  having  attained,  July  81,  1812, 
by  successive  promotions,  the  rank  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel. 

On  the  morning  of  November  21,1812,  the  British 
opened  a  heavy  cannonade  and  bondjardment  upon 
Fort  Niagara  from  five  batteries,  at  and  near  Fort 
George,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  From 
dawn  till  twilight,  one  incessant  storm  of  projec- 
tiles was  poured  upon  our  fort.  Though  the  shells 
did  little  damage,  the  two  hundred  red-hot  shot, 
Avhich  were  thrown  at  us,  set  fire  to  the  buildings 
and  threatened  their  desti'uction ;  but,  says  Colonel 
McFeely,  in  command  of  Fort  Niagara,  in  his  official 
despatch,  "from  the  extraordinary  vigilance  of  the 
officers  and  men,  particularly  Major  Armistead,  of  the 
United  States  C/orps  of  Kngineevs,  whose  indefatiga- 
l)le  exertions  were  extended  to  all  j)arts  of  the  gari'i- 
son,  the  fires  wore  got  under  without  being  observed 
by  the  enemy."  Among  the  extraordinaiy  instances 
of  bravery  on  this  occasion,  Avas  the  conduct  of  the 
wife  of  j)rivate  Doyle,  who,  during  the  most  furious 
cannonade,  served  the  six-pounder  on  the  old  mess- 


.  ill'; 


CirKSAl'KAKE    OAMl'AUiX    OF    1813-14, 


m 


house  Avitli  red-liot  shot,  and  showed  fortitude 
woi'tliy  of  the  Maid  of  Orhvuis. 

After  the  tenuinatioii  of  oj)ei'jitioiis  on  tlie 
Niagara  frontier,  in  181'2,  Arniistead  was  sent  early 
in  tlie  fo]k)wini;-  spring  to  tlie  Cliesa})eake.  He  dili- 
gently a])])lie<l  liiniself  at  once  to  protecting  Norfolk, 
the  most  important  town  on  the  (1iesa|)eake  sliores, 
and  wliose  excellent  harbor  he  well  knew  would 
tempt  our  great  naval  enemy. 

Noi'folk,  in  ISl.'i,  was  covered  hy  Fort  Norfolk 
on  the  right,  and  Fort  Nelson  on  the  left  bank  of 
Elizabeth  Kiver.  These  two  feelde  works  and  two 
small  redoubts,  called  Forts  Tar  and  Bjii'bour,  pro- 
tecting the  hind  ajjproaches,  Ijeing  entii'ely  insuf- 
ficient for  a  good  defense,  Arniistead  threw  up  some 
additional  intrenchments  on  Craney  Island  (contain- 
ing about  thii't\  acres),  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
and  commandiiiii'  its  entrance.  This  Island  beinci: 
the  key  to  the  position,  it  was  armed  with  all  the 
available  artillery,  f(,)ur  (5,  one  1 8,  and  two  24-pounders, 
and  had  a  u:ai'rison  of  737  militia,  resrulars  and  sea- 
men,  commanded  by  Lieut. -Colonel  Beatty.  The 
remainder  of  our  forces,  mostly  nulitia,  occupied  the 
othei"  defenses,  the  whole  of  our  land  forces  ])eing 
under  the  control  of  Hrig.-deneral  Robert  B.  Taylor, 
a  vei'v  etHcient  otticei'. 

At  daylight  of  June  '2'2,  1813  (the  aimiversary 
of  the  captui'e  of  oui'  luducky  frigate  Chesapeake 
by  the  Leo|'ard,  which  in  1807  had  so  roused  the 
whole  nation  against  the  insolence  and  agu'ression  of 
Kuii'land  ),  the  l^)ritish  landed  about  '2,M){)  infantry 
and  marines,  at  Ilotlleiu'  Creek,  and  moved  towards 


ni:T(;.-(;i:M:i;.\r,  avai.kki:   k.   aumistead. 


27:i 


the 


belli 


(!• 


lor, 


Je:i 


jiiy 
ke 


tl 


le 


\m  oi 
in  try 


Craiicy  Island,  opciiiiiu'  liiv  with  ('(miiivve  rockets 
and  lijilit  ai'tillerv;  at  the  same  time  execiitiiiii;  a 
ilaiik  moNt'ineiit  to  uaiii  the  rear  of  our  forees  on  the 
main    land.      Simnltaneonslv    with   the  advance  of 


these  ti'oo|»s,  lifty  laip'  liritish  harges,  tilled  witli 
1, ;-)(>()  sailors  and  niaiines,  in  donhle  eolnmnjed  by  the 
heautii'ul  C'entii)ede  heionuinu'  to  Admiral  Warren, 
were    seen    approaehinn'  under  cover  of    the  shore. 


iil 


«d£k 


i   i^ 


t^ 


Ml 


274 


CIIKSAPKAKE    CAMI'AKiN    OF    1813  14. 


From  our  battery  on  tlie  Island,  to  tlie  north  end  of 
wliich  all  our  artillery  had  to  })e  moved,  was  opened 
a  rai)id  and  well-directed  tire  of  gi-ape  and  canister, 
which  soon  drove  off  tlie  land  troops  and  }»ut  the 
Bi'itish  barges  into  the  greatest  confusion,  sinking 
the  Centipede  and  four  others,  and  compelling  the 
reniaindei"  to  seek  the  protection  of  their  shi[)s.  The 
enemy  lost  few  lives,  but  more  credit  in  this  feeble 
and  illy-sustained  action.  Some  of  the  gallant 
officers  from  our  own  flotilla,  forming  a  crescent  line 
from  Craney  Island  to  Lambert  Point  to  cover  the 
Constellation  and  protect  the  main  channel  to  Nor- 
folk, secured  the  Centi2)ede,  from  wliich  had  escaped 
the  wounded  ctmimander,  Captain  Ilachette,  the 
illegitimate  son  of  (leorge  III.  Thus,  while  one 
brother  was  disgraced  by  a  handful  of  militia  in  an 
attempt  to  capture  a  miserable  island  in  the  C^hesa- 
peake,  which  Sancho  Pan/a  would  have  scorned  to 
govern,  three  other  brothers — George  IV.,  William 
IV.  and  the  King  of  Hanover — succeeded  to  thrones. 
This  ignominious  defeat  so  exasperated  Cockbnrn 
that  the  bold  buccaneer,  three  days  after,  took  his 
unworthy  revenge  by  the  commission  of  atrocities 
on  the  defenseless  village  of  Hampton  not  less  brutal 
and  inhuman  than  those  which,  six  months  before, 
had  been  j)erpetrated  on  the  River  Kaisin  by  his 
worthy  j)eer — the  butcher  I^roctor.  A  combined  naval 
and  land  force,  including  the  Chasseui-s  Hrittani([ue, 
not  less  than  2,500,  landed,  and,  thougli  oui'  small 
force  of  about  450,  mostly  raw  militia,  fought  well, 
they  were  soon  overcome  by  superior  numbers,  ^vhen 
this  little  fishing  town  was  immediately  given  up  to 


TmiO.-OKXEMAL    WALKKlt    K.    AUMISTEAD.  275 


pillage  jiiid  destnictioii.  A  cori'espondciice, respecting 
the  eiioi'iiiities  there  committed,  took  place  ])et\veen 
Geiiei'al  Tayloi'  and  the  British  commander  of  these 
tr()oj)s,  from  which  it  appears,  after  making  due 
deductions  and  allowances,  that  barbarities  were  com- 
mitted almost  too  I'evolting  to  relate.  "Women," 
says  Ingersoll,  "  who  coidd  not  esca})e,  were  hunted 
down  l)y  perpetrators  of  eveiy  indignity  on  their 
persons.  No  hel])  was  given  to  the  wounded.  The 
dead  were  left  unburied.  The  females  were  not  only 
violated  by  these  wretches,  but  they  encouraged  the 
slaves  to  violate  their  own  mistresses.  Tlie  sick 
were  nuirdered  in  l)ed — the  maimed  and  the  decrepit 
from  age.  Silver  plundered  from  dwellings  was 
perhaps  not  illegitimate  spoih  But  the  pulpit  and 
the  conmninion  tal)le  of  the  E[)iscopal  Church  at 
Hampton  (the  C'hui'ch  of  England,  as  commonly 
called  in  this  country),  together  with  all  the  plate, 
although  the  donor's  name  was  engraved  on  it,  to- 
gether with  the  parish  to  ^\'hich  it  belonged,  were 
saci'ilegious  booty.  Shirts  and  shoes  stripped  from 
aged  [)ersons,  indiscriminate  i-ape,  one  woman 
ravished  by  many  men — these,  and  many  more  such 
outrages,  ini(loul)tedly  committed,  it  woidd  wrong 
hist(>ry  not  to  record  and  ci\ili/ation  not  to  repro- 
bate." A  Select  Conuuittee  of  C\)ngress,  com- 
posed of  very  distinguished  mend)ers,  say  in  their 
report :  "  The  shrieks  of  the  innocent  victims  of  in- 
fernal lust  at  IIani})ton  wei'e  heard  by  the  American 
prisoners,  but  were  too  weak  to  leach  the  ears  or 
disturb  the  repose  of  British  officers,  whose  duty  as 
men  re(iuired   them  to  protect  every  female  whom 


kt      W  I 


IH 


27G 


C'HKSAl'EAKK    CAMI'AIGN    OK    1813  14. 


, ,,  i> 


the  fortiiiu'  of  war  liud  thrown  iiit(»  tlicir  j>o\v«'r. 
Huiiuin  laiiL''ua<iv  affords  no  ttTiiis  stroiuj;  enoui:;!!  to 
express  tlie  einotioiis  wliicli  tlie  examination  of  tlie 
evidence  has  awakened.  In  tlie  eonespondence  l)e- 
tween  tlie  American  and  British  coinnianders  will 
l)e  found  what  is  e([uivalent  to  an  admission  of  the 
facts  by  the  latter.  No  jtiinishmeiit  has  followed 
conviction  of  the  gnilty.  The  power  of  retaliation 
being  veste<l  in  the  execiitixc,  no  measure  is  pro])osed 
by  this  report.  Such  enormities,  instead  of  ins[)irin<^ 
terror,  as  was  ])robably  intended,  beinp^  calculated  to 
[>roduce  the  contrary  eifect,  the  committee  close  with 
a  resolution  that  the  President  be  reijuested  to  collect 
and  present  to  the  House  evidence  of  every  departure 
of  the  enemy,  during  the  war,  from  the  ordinary 
mode  of  coinbicting  it  among  civilized  nations." 

On  the  first  of  -Inly  the  Bi'itish  tieet  of  twenty- 
five  vessels  left  Hani])ton  Roads  and  entei'ed  the 
Potomac,  then  only  defended  by  old  Fort  Warbur- 
ton  (now  Washington),  just  above  Mount  Vernon. 
Alexandria,  Washington,  and  Georgetown  were 
greatly  alarmed;  but,  as  no  vessel  then  ai)proached 
nearer  than  seventy  miles  to  the  Capital,  the  panic 
soon  subsided.  Annapolis  and  Baltimore  were  then 
tlireatened,  but,  ])eing  deemed  too  strong  for  a 
successful  attack,  the  freebooter  Cockburn  with<lrew 
to  plunder  and  alai'in  the  Carolina  and  ( Georgia  coasts. 

Tlie  piratical  Admiral  having  withdrawn  from 
the  Chesa])eake  in  1818,  no  further  danger  Avas 
apprehended  jit  Washington.  Even  the  abdication 
of  Napoleon  at  Foiitainbleau,  April  11,  1H14,  and 
his  banishment  to  Elba,   leavino-  Enu'land   free  to 


HHK5.-(JKNi:i!.\L    WALKKIJ     K.     Al{  MI  STEAD. 


'Ji  i 


traiisjxn't  lici'  vast  vett'ian  forces  to  Aint'i'icji,  did  not 
disturl)  tli«'  ('(luaiiiiiiity  of  our  statesmen  at  tlie 
('a[)ital  oi"  rouse  tlieui  to  a.  reali/iiii;'  sense  of  the 
daiiLi'ei'  to  wliicli  we  were  exposed.  One  ('assan<li*a, 
under  the  tith'  of  "  Aniei'ieanus,"  in  tlie  "National 
Intelliij::eneei-,"  did  uttei'  a  note  of  waiiiinir,  )»nt  tlie 
|)ro|)h<'i'y  was  not  l>elieved  till  the  enemy  was 
almost  within  (»ur  walls.  No  preparation  was  made 
to  oppose  the  foe.  One  company  of  ai'tillery  at 
Fort  \Var))urt(»n,  and  another  of  marines  at  Wash- 
inii;ton,  wei'e  the  sole  trustworthy  jiroteetion  to  the 
(^apltal  scarcely  two  m(»nths  before  its  ])ul)lic  edi- 
fices were  laid  In  ashes. 

Notw^ithstanding  i'e[)eated  warning  <d'  Kniilamrs 
extensive  [)re))aration  to  transpoi't  many  troops  to 
our  shores,  no  official  plan  of  defense  was  consid- 
ered by  our  government  till  the  Pi'esident  and  his 
(•ablnet  assembled  In  lugul)rIous  council  to  deliber- 
ate on  the  situation,  'Inly  1,  1<S14,  oidy  a  few  days 
after  ])ositive  information  had  reached  New  York, 
by  a  cai'tel,  that  in  the  harbor  (»f  l^ermuda  there 
was  anchored  "  a  Heet  of  transports,  with  a  large 
force  on  board,  to  sail  in  one  or  two  days  to  some 
[)ort  in  the  Tnlted  States — probably  for  the  I^)to- 
mac."  The  next  day,  the  Tenth  Military  District, 
end>racing  \'ii-ginia  between  the  Ka[>])ahannock  and 
Potomac,  the  State  of  Maryland  and  tlu^  District  of 
(_Viluml)ia,  was  created  and  put  under  c(»nunand  of 
Brig.-General  Winder,  who  had  just  been  released  as 
a  prisoner  of  war,  ca[)tured  on  the  northern  frontier, 
where  he  had  won  few  laurels.  On  the  fourth  of 
duly  the  vSecretary  of  War  made  re([uIsitIons   upon 


n^  \a^ 


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IMAGI:  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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[] 


278 


CHKSAPKAKE    CAMPAIGN    OF    ISI3  14. 


the  States  for  tK{,r)0(>  iiiilitiu,  in  wliich  were  iucliKled 
neitlier  cavalrv  iior  rltleiiieii,  "to  he  lield  in  readi- 
ness for  iiuinediate  service,"  I)iit  only  the  District  (►f 
Colunil>ia  and  State  (jf  Maryland  were  called  u[)on 
to  provide  their  reu;ular  (piota,  in  whole  or  ])art,  "in 
case  of  actual  or  menaced  invasion,"  while  Penn- 
sylvania was  directed  to  send  '),(HH)  and  Viri^inia 
2,000  to  the  militia  rendezvous.  Connnodore  Har- 
ney, a  dashing  veteran  of  the  Navy  was  put  in 
command  of  a  small  tlotilla  of  jj^unboats  in  the 
Patuxent. 

Winder's  army  on  |)a|)ei'  was  a  niagniticent  array 
of  nearly  100,000  men,  the  largest  foi'ce  that  had  ever 
been  destined  for  the  tield  in  America;  but,  through 
otticial  apathy  or  incom[)etency,  defective  State  laws 
and  dilatoriness  everywhere,  Winder,  two  weeks 
after  the  enemy  had  ai)peared  in  heavy  force  in  the 
Chesai)eake,  was  unable  to  report  more  than  5,000 
troops,  mostly  raw  militia,  on  his  rolls,  a  large  [>art 
of  wliich  were  yet  to  be  collected.  In  other  words, 
the  General  was  practically  powerless,  for  he  had 
only  the  semblance  of  an  <u'ganized  force;  in  person 
was  com[)elled  to  attend  to  every  detail,  he  being 
without  a  staff  or  engineers;  and,  unaided  by  cav- 
aliy,  had  no  means  of  ascertaining  the  enemy's 
movements. 

While  such  were  our  feeble  preparations,  the 
British  stjuadron  in  the  Chesapeake  was  re-enforced, 
August  IH,  1814,  by  twenty-cme  vessels  under  Ad- 
miral Cochrane,  and  was  soon  after  joined  by  another 
under  Commodore  Malcolm.  (Jii  board  were  several 
thousand  of  Wellington's  Peninsular  veterans,  com- 


BKI(J.-(iENKHAL    WALKKR    K.    AHMISTKAl). 


27W 


nianded    by  a  hvave   and  enterprising    Irislinian — 
Maj(>r-(Teneral  Ross. 

After  C(H-k})urn'H  return  to  the  ('hesapeake,  tliis 
I'apacious  freel««>ter  at  once  resiuned  l»is  predatory 
waHare  of  hurnini;  and  rol))>inii;  villages,  farm 
liouses,  and  everything  on  which  he  eoidd  lay  liands, 
"  crnisiiii''  about  in  everv  direction,"  savs  an  otticer 
of  lloss's  army,  "threatening  the  whole  line  of  coast, 
from  the  entiance  to  the  very  bend  of  the  bay ;  and 
thus  ke})t  tlie  Americans  in  a  constant  state  of 
ahirm.  Wlienever  a  favorable  oj)portunity  [)resented 
itself,  parties  landed,  plundered  or  destroyed  tlie 
government  stores,  laid  towns  and  districts  under 
contribution,  and  brought  off  all  the  shi[)ping  which 
could  be  reached.  In  a  w<Md,  the  hostilities  carried 
on  in  the  Cliesapeake  resembled  the  expedition  of 
tlie  ancient  Danes  against  Great  Britain,  rather  than 
a  modern  war  ]>etween  civilized  nations."  What  the 
atroci(»us  character  of  that  Danish  invasion  was  has 
been  told  bv  Hume  and  other  British  histoiians. 

In  the  midst  of  his  disgraceful  career,  finding 
liimself  o[)posed  by  a  Ixdd  l)ut  more  humane  sailor, 
C^Vinnno(h)re  Barney,  who  with  liis  snuill  craft  set  at 
defiance  even  tlie  lirigs  and  frigates  of  liis  Brit- 
tanic  Majesty,  Cockburn  resolved  to  punish  such 
audacity  by  the  capture  and  destruction  of  our 
flotilla.  Accordingly,  (m  the  18th  of  August,  the 
Kuiflish  Admiral  ascended  the  Patuxent  as  far  as 
Benedict,  when  he  landed  a  few  snudl  guns  and  a 
force  of  4,500  regulars,  marines,  and  disciplined 
negroes. 

Up  to  this  time  little  danger  was  apprehended 


m 


280 


CirHSAPKAKK    CAMIVVrciV    (>V    \s\:\   It. 


at  the  Capital,  the  [>ress  iii.i<l<'  liulit  of  it,  the  ('ul)i- 
net  was  not  alarmed,  tin-  War  ScerctaiT  iclmked 
all  iiiisgiviiiirs,  Wiiidci's  i-e(|iiisitioiis  \\«'i"(*  still  neir- 
leeted,  and    the    entii'r    piihlic   sccmkmI    \M'a|)|»ed    in 


.sonino 


lent 


secniitv 


The  eertain  ap|»i'o.icli  of  the  (Mumnv  and  the  fall- 
inir  l>aek  (»f  our  flotilla  to  Xottinuhain,  finally  awoke 
tlie  Sceretarv  of  W'ai-  from  his  dreams  and  induced 
him  to  sanction  Winder's  cills  foi*  more  trooj)s,  with 
the  understandinu:,  however,  at  this  moment  of  ahso- 
lute  danirer,  that  he  would  so  woi'<l  his  re(|uisitions 
for  volunteers  as  "to  uuard  auaiiist  interferiiiLT  with 
the  leiLral  draft."  The  comtnandinL:,"  general,  hy  ijrreat 
personal  activity,  on  the  LMst,  was  at  the  head  of 
8,L>(M>  men 

and  seventeen  ])ieces  of  small  artilleiy.  Had  Winder 
been  untrammeled  by  the  Presidt'ut  and  his  Cabinet, 
with  this  force,  thouiih  undiscijdim'd,  aided  by 
Harney's  flotilla  and  the  natural  (»bstacles  besettini; 
the  enemy's  path,  he  should  have  been  able  to  defv 
the  invader,  who  l)ol<lly  continued  his  advance. 

Cockburn's  raid  was  well  planne(l.  While  send- 
inij^  two  small  sipiadi-ons  to  make  demonsti'ations,  one 
towards  Anna])olis  and    Haltimoi*',  and  the  other  uj) 


arms,  inchulinn"  a  few  troops  of  cavalry 


tlie  Potomac,  he,  with  his  smaller  craft. 


CO\  t'IV< 


1  tl 


le 


march  of  Ross"  army  up  the  southern  bank  (»f  the 
Pntuxent,  ostensibly  in  j)ursuit  of  Harney,  but,  in 
reality,  if  the  uenei-al  could  be  persuadtMl  to  co-opei'- 
ate,  to  make  a  dash  on  \\  ashin!j:tt)n — the  iroal  of 
his  avarice  an<l  ambition. 

The    entii'e    distance    from    ("(tckburn's    landini; 
place  at  IVnedict  to  WashiuLTton  was  less  than  fifty 


I  tlu* 
It,  ill 

juper- 
ill    of 

iliiiiji; 
lifty 


BIIICJ.-OENKRAL    WALKKR    K.  AUMISTKAD. 


281 


miles  ;  but,  owiiii;  t<>  tlie  extreme  lieut  of  t]ie  weutlier, 
the  (leV)ilitate(l  state  of  tlie  troops  lonj^cooped-up  <>ii 
sliip  board,  and  tlie  diHiculty  of  maivliiiii:;  in  a  coun- 
try intersected  with  streams  an«l  covered  witli 
forests,  tlie  l^iitish  advance  was  very  slow.  Not  till 
the  evenini;  of  the  21st  had  the  enemv  reached  Not- 
tini^ham,  from  whi<'h  our  tlotilla  had  esca|)ed  to 
simie  ten  miles  higher  up  the  river  above  Pig's  Point. 
Resuming  the  marcli  on  the  ni< truing  of  the  22d,  the 
gi'eat  torch-bearer  soon  found  his  love  of  destruction 
gi'atitied  by  (»ur  own  Seci'etary  of  the  Navy,  who, 
in  the  general  panic,  had  given  ordei's  to  set  tire  to 
our  flotilla,  which  was  l)uined  l)efoiv  the  enemy 
coidd  reach  it. 

At  this  late  date,  Windei-  had  pushed  forward 
about  8<M)  cavalry  and  rifles,  with  a  battery  of  artil- 
leiy,  to  reconnoitre  aiul  harass  the  enemy,  while  the 
remainder  of  his  force  was  to  follow  in  support. 
Findinii:  the  enemv  urreatlv  sui)erior  in  numbers,  the 
general  ordered  the  advanced  detachment  to  fall 
back  to  the  "  \Vo<Ml-yard,''  and  there  await  him. 
Our  entire  force  at  hand,  including  infantry,  sailors 
and  marines,  was  about  one-half  that  of  the  British. 

Our  Secretary  of  the  Navy  having  kindly  per- 
formed the  chief  service  for  which  the  great  incen- 
diary had  undertaken  his  raid  up  the  Patuxent, 
Mephistopheles-like  he  ])oure(l  into  the  ear  of  Ross — 
a  ready  listener  where  laurels  or  l)ooty  were  to  be 
w<ui — the  following  insidi(>us  argument,  according 
to  Dr.  Thompson,  substantially  as  follows:  "  (^ur 
antagonist,  from  deficiency  of  force,  or  want  of  c(»n- 
fidence  in  what  lie  has,  having  hitherto  shown  no 


I 


€W 


W^ 


Jl'  il 


ii 


282 


("IIKSAI'KAKK    ("AMPAIOX    OV    18i:»-14. 


disposition  to  ohstnict  our  views,  and  liaviiiir  at  last 
blown  up  his  flotilla,  wliicli,  if  w«'ll  fouij^lit,  nii£j:lit 
liave  cost  us  nianv  lives — may  we  not  conelude,  that 
his  defense  of  Washinufton  will  not  ])e  more  vi<:;(U-ous^ 
And  if  so,  has  not  the  condition  on  which  we  are 
permitted  to  attack  that  town  arisen  *.  It  is  ti'ue 
that  Washington  presents  no  object  strictly  military 
— a  navy-yard  c<un[)aratively  em})ty,  and  a  sma'l  and 
poor  po])ulation — hut  we  must  not  for<;et  that  incon- 
sidei'al)le  in  this  view  as  it  maybe,  it  is  the  metroj»o- 
lis  of  the  nation,  and  that  names,  as  well  in  war  as 
in  peace,  do  much.  I^y  capturing  it,  we  shall  give 
no  small  edat  to  our  arms  abi'oa<l  :  and  to  our- 
selves, a  more  solid  gratification,  if  the  government, 
to  save  the  city,  be  disposed  to  make  a  liberal  dona- 
tion of  their  money."  The  latter  mercenary  sugues- 
tion,  more  than  glory  or  vengance  was  doubtless  the 
moving    imj)ulse    which    actuated    this    avaricious 


corsai  r. 


The  prospects  of  untold  prize-money  j)ro\ed  t(»o 
dazzling  to  l)e  resisted  by  Ross.  Leaving  a  naval 
officer  and  some  seamen  tt>  shi])  the  plunder,  the  Irish 
General  and  the  English  Admiial,  with  about  4,r)(Mi 
combatants  and  thive  small  pieces  of  artilleiy,  set 
out  on  the  morning  of  the  22d,  with  three  days  pro- 
visions, direct  for  Washington,  aftei'wards  changing 
their  course  to  induce  Winder  to  believe  that  their 
destination  might  be  either  Annapolis  or  Fort  \\'ash- 
iuirton.  Winder,  in  the  meantime  not  thinkiuij:  it 
prudent  to  risk  a  battle,  fell  back  to  "  Long  Old 
Fields,"  an  admirable  strategic  position  covering  a 
direct  advance  on  Washington   and   both  its  tiank 


BRrn.-OENERAL    \V.\LKI':T{    K.     AFniTSTKAD. 


283 


(1  too 
naval 
.  Il'isll 

4,r)«M) 
A,  set 

s  })ro- 

11  lining 
their 

Vasli- 

iiiii;  it 
iT "( )ia 

•iu<i;  a 
rtaiik 


a))j)roat'lies  — on  tlie  left  1)V  tlie  hla(leiis})urg  road, 
and  on  the  riijlit  ])v  tliat  t«^  Fort  Wasliini^ton. 

Tlie  Secretary  of  State —Colonel  Monroe — an  old 
Revolutionarv  soldier,  who  had  been  witli  Winder 
for  several  days,  eoimiiuiiicate<l  to  the  President  his 
a|»|)rehensi(>ns  of  the  p'eat  daiii^er  to  the  Caj)ital, 
and  reeomniended  that  he  "had  better  remove  the 
records,"  and  "have  the  materials  prepared  to  des- 
troy the  bridixes."  Fortunatelv,  most  of  the  public 
archives  reached  a  place  of  safety,  but  some  were  lost 
or  so  mutilated  that  they  were  never  of  further  use. 
Upon  the  receipt  (tf  Colonel  ]\[onr<»eV  messaife, 
Washino^ton  was  in  the  wildest  panic,  and  an  exodus 
of  thousands  of  its  inhabitants  immediately  took 
place. 

Events  were  now  raj)idly  culininatiniij  to  a  crisis, 
and  the  worn-out  Command inLr-(ieneral,  with  only 
2,500  men  fit  for  duty — nearly  all  raw  militia- 
was  s<^)rely  perj)l(^\ed  as  to  the  pro[>er  course  to  be 
pursued,  thoiiudi,  as  usual  on  such  occasions,  he  was 
well  supplied  with  the  advice  of  every  one  from  the 
President,  then  with  him,  down  to  the  country 
s(piire  ;  in  the  multitude  of  counsellors,  however,  he 
found  no  safety. 

On  the  mornini;  oi  the  2.'{d,  Ross  was  at  Upper 
Abirlboroui^h,  while  Winder  was  at  Old  Fields, 
where,  instead  of  concentrating  his  scattered  forces, 
only  a  few  miles  separated,  for  battle,  or  to  watch 
the  enemy's  movements  and  threaten  his  communi- 
cations,  our  (■ommanding-dreiieral  abandoned  this 
strong  and  advantageous  position  so  soon  as  Ross 
and  Cockburn  moved  forward  in  the  aftermxm,  thus 


mil 


284 


CIIKSAI'KAKK    <  AMPATON    OF    1S13  14. 


I  I 


imikiiii;  (IctVat  ccilaiii  In  dcprt'ssinu'  tlic  conHdem-e 
of  our  little  ai'iiiy,  which,  at  sunset,  made  a  disoilei'ly 
retreat  aei'oss  the  Hasteni  Hraneh  l>ri<l<:;e  into  Wasli- 
iui^t<Hi.  This  flight  was  a  deathblow  to  our  cause, 
l)oth  in  a  luilitary  and  moral  sense.  Militai y :  because 
our  small  forces  were  thus  scatteied  over  a  front  of 
fifteen  miles  from  Hladenslxiru;,  where  (ieiieral  Staiis- 
l)ury  was  ordered  to  take  j>osition,  to  Fort  Washing- 
ton, covered  l>y  (Teneral  Yoiinu;  with  a  small  Ixxly. 
Moral:  for  on  the  niiiht  of  the  '2'.\(\  all  was  conster- 
nation in  tlie  Cajutal,  the  President  and  his  C'al)inet 
vacillated  in  tlieir  course  of  action,  the  troo[»s,  worn 
out  witli  aimless  marches  and  counter-marches,  were 
(lis])irited,  and  the  ( 'onunandiui^-iieneral,  weak  every- 
where, knew  not  whitlwr  to  turn  ;  while  tlie  enemy, 
oiily  ten  miles  distant,  was  gii'dinjj;"  up  his  loins  to 
pring  upon  liis  [)rey  and  seize  liis  [»luii<ler. 

On  the  morning  of  the  lUth,  [x'liding  the  Council 
of  the  President,  his  Cabinet,  and  tlie  leader  of  our 
forlorn  hope,  Ross  was  moving  towards  liis  coveted 
prize,  not  directly  where  a  l)i'oad  river  inteiposed, 
but  to  turn  our  left  flank  wheiv  the  stream  was  ford - 
able.  When  undeceived  as  to  the  enemy's  intentions, 
evervthinjjc  was  hurried  forward  to  Hladensburi::, 
wliere  tardily  were  assembled  about  r),<K»0  weary, 
undisciplined  and  demoralized  troops,  to  meet  a  like 
number  of  veterans  trained  to  war,  inured  to  fatigue, 
and  accustomed  to  victory.  All  'in  our  army  was 
confusion,  and  though  Winder  was  called  the  com- 
mander of  this  motley  mass,  there  was  more  than  one 
volunteer  generalissimo  from  the  President's  mounted 
Cabinet,  one  of  whom  (the  Secretary  of  State),  with- 


s 


HUI(}.-(SKXKIJAr<    WALKKi:    K.   AinilSTKAD. 


285 


U'uce 

(U'l'ly 
Vasfi- 
•ause, 

»iit  of 
Stalls- 
sliiu.u'- 

l)o(ly. 
mster- 
al)iiift 
,  worn 
■i,  were 

t'verv- 
eneiiiy, 
oins  to 

oiiiu'il 
of  our 
(»vete<l 

xtsed, 
IS  t'onl- 
ntioiis, 
islmrg, 

weary, 
t  a  like 
fatii^iie, 
ny  was 
|u'  colli- 
liaii  one 


lio 


untetl 
),  witli- 


oiit  Winder's  knowledge,  e]ianti'e<l  Ids  order  of  ])uttle, 
and  anotliei-  (the  Secretary  of  War),  wlio  a  few  lioiirs 
liefoi'e  had  been  invesved  hy  the  President  witli  tlie 
entire  coinniand,  Imt  fortunately  Ids  oi'«ler  was  sus- 
pended before  the  l)attle  i»eL:;an. 

Hladens])nri»;,  which  has  given  its  name  to  tlie 
diso-raceful  action  fouuht  Auirust  24,  1814,  is  a  sniull 
village  on  the  left  hank  of  tlie  Knstern  Branch  of 
the  I*otoinac  River,  connected  l>y  a  hridge  (ahout  1<M> 
feet  long)  with  the  right  hank,  upon  vhiidi  in  hot 
haste  oururiny  was  drawn  up  in  three  nearly  straight 
lines,  none  of  wliich  were  Hanked  or  ))rotected  l)y  a 
cross-fire  of  our  2(5  pieces,  mostly  li<dit  artillery. 
About  noon,  at  the  turn  «»f  the  roiid  where  it  <lescends 
the  hill  ])eyon(l  Bladensburg,  lloss  discovered  the; 
American  forces  drawn  up  on  tlie  other  side  of  tlie 
river.  With  his  Irish  audacity,  and  estimating  our 
militia  as  no  better  than  Spanish  soldiery,  at  the 
head  of  his  eh'te  of  about  l,r)(Ml  Pen'"*^idar  yeterans, 
after  a  momentary  check,  he  dashed  a.  the  bridge 
despite  our  heavy  artillery  fire,  threw  out  sliarp-shoot- 
ers  and  rocket-men  on  his  flanks,  (piickly  dis[)erse«l 
our  skirmishers,  threw  our  Hrst  line  into  disorder, 
and  ca])tured  two  i)ieces  of*  aitillery  left  l)y  our 
retreating  forces  before  they  had  hardly  made  any 
resistance.  F^lated  by  their  success,  the  British 
light  brigade  threw  asi<le  their  knapsacks  and  haver- 
sacks, and,  without  waiting  for  support,  dejdoyed 
in  thin  order  to  make  their  fi'ont  e(pial  to  that  of 
our  second  line,  which,  l)eing  nioie  coui[)act,  with- 
stood the  onset  and  in  turn  «lrove  back  the  attenuated 
British  line  to  the  riyer  bank.       Here  they  contested 


IP;    If 


280 


CUKSAPKAKK    CAMI'AKlN    OK    1«I3  U. 


tluMT  i^i'ound  till  the  secoinl  Hi'itisli  l)ii^}ule  fr()Hs<M| 
t\n'  hridj^c,  tlic  ic-riiforccd  cikmiiv  tluMi  |>i('ssin<^  f<n'- 
ward  an<l  tuniliiL'  tli«'  l«'i'(  <>!'  <»iir  second  line,  while 
a  fliLflit  of  hissiniij  r<K'kets  put  two  «>f  our  niilitiji 
regiments  Into  disorderly  ilii^lit.  The  C'oininandin^- 
(icneiul  in  vjiin  triecl  to  rally  them,  and,  though  the 
right  for  a  short  tiin(i  maintained  its  ground,  the 
whole  of  the  second  line  in  turn  gave  way  to  dis- 
gi'aceful  reti'eat. 

The  nuite  of  our  tii'st  and  second  lines  liaving 
been  acconi[>lished,  the  triumphant  liritish  pressed 
forward  to  the  attack  of  the  Ameiican  thii<l  line, 
hettei'  |>oste(l  and  composed  of  sternei"  stuff  than 
either  the  Hist  or  second.  The  )>attle  here,  for  more 
than  an  honi',  raged  furiously,  tlieenemv  being  badly 


'Ut  up 


li 


>11 


>  l»v  our  \vell-serve(|  artillery,  and  driven 


till( 


d  di 


back 


to  tlie  plateau  or  (dd  duelling-ground,  several  of 
tlieir  disabled  officers  falling  into  our  hands;  but 
our  success  was  short  lived,  for  the  gallant  l^arney 
was  seveiely  wounded,  oui'  artillery  was  deserted 
by  its  infantry  su|)port,  BealTs  militia  was  dispersed 
by  the  assault  of  a  heavy  column,  and  ])oth  our  flanks 
])eing  turned  by  the  l^ritish  light  troops.  Winder 
ordered  a  general  retreat,  m<»st  (»f  the  militia  moving 
t<>wai'ds  Montgomery  Court  House  in  Maryland. 

"  \N  ith  the  (;.\ce|)tion  of  a  party  of  sailors  from 
the  gun-boats,  under  the  command  of  Commander 
Harney,"  says  a  Hritish  otKcei-  present,  "no  troops 
could  lK*hav(!  worse  than  they  did.  Tlie  skirmishers 
were  (b'iveii  in  as  stxni  as  attacked,  the  fiist  line  gave 
way  without  otf<M-ing  the  slightest  resistance,  and 
the  left  of  the  main  Ixxiy  was  broken  within  half  an 


MItI(i.-<;KNi;iJAr,    WALKKI:    K.    AltMISTKAl). 


2H7 


r  for- 

lilitia 
ulin^- 
;h  tlu' 
I,  the 

0  (lis- 

lavini^ 

1  line, 
f  tlum 
r  more 
'l)!ullv 
n  hjK'k 
cral   «>f 

^;  l>iit 
ianiey 
I'serte*! 

J|)('fS«'<l 

thinks 
iVinder 
liioviuK 


Uh 


1. 

tVoni 
ler 


iiaiu 


tl'OOj 


)S 


hers 


Ills 


ic  <j;ave 


3e, 


and 
I  half  an 


Iioiir  after  it  was  seriously  ciiLCaLje*!.  Of  tlie  saihd's, 
ho\vev<'i',  it  would  he  iiijiisti«'e  not  to  spcjik  in  the 
terms  which  their  ('(niduc't  merits.  Thev  weie  »Mn- 
ployed  as  Lfunners,  and  not  only  did  tln^y  serve  their 
iruns  with  atiuiekness  and  precision  which  astonished 
theii-  assailiints,  hut  tliey  stood  till  some  of  them 
were  a<'tualiy  hayonettMl,  with  fuses  in  their  hands; 
nor  wjis  it  till  their  lea<ler  was  W(tunde<l  and  taken, 
and  they  saw  themselves  descrte*!  on  all  sides  by 
the  soldiers,  that  they  (jiiitted  the  field." 

'i'lius  terminated  the  disi^raceful  battle  of  Hla- 
denshurii',  oiii-  laurels  lost  far  exeeediui^  our  loss  of 
heroic  defendeis.  'I'he  contest  began  about  noon 
.ind  ende(l  at  4  v.  m.,  the  British  casualties  Ixung 
upwards  of  r)(M)  killed  and  wounded,  includini;  sev- 
eral (dliceis  of  rank  and  distinction,  while  oui'  loss<'s 
wei-e  fai-  less,  beinu"  variously  estimated  at  10  to  2G 
of  the  former  and  4(»  to  .")!  (jf  the  latter. 

Ross,  with  only  two  of  his  biigades,  having 
secured  an  easy  victory,  ordered  his  third  to  join 
him  on  the  battlefield,  where,  aft<'r  a  short  rest  and 
having  nothing  to  oj>pose  him,  he  moved  towards 
Washington.  Leaving  the  mass  of  his  forces  a 
mih*  and  a  half  from  the  Capitol,  and  finding  no 
official  with  whom  to  negotiate  a  ju'cuniary  ransinn 
for  j)rojterty  at  his  meicy,  he,  and  his  far  less  scru- 
pulouscompani(»n  in  ini(juity — Cockburn — with  their 
guaid  of  tor<'h-bearers  and  plunderers,  lode  into  the 
city  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  where,  says  I*res- 
i<lent  Madison  in  his  jn-oclamatioii  of  vSeptember  1, 
1814;  "'I'hey  wantonly  destroyed  the  public  (Mlifi- 
ces,  having  no  relation   in   their  structure  to  opera- 


ffir 


288 


(•nKSAI>KAKK    TAMPAMiN    OK    1K13  14. 


■ 


tions  of  wiw,  nor  used  at  tlic  time  for  iiiilitarv 
Jinijoyanct* ;  some  of  these  edifices  heiiii^  also  Mjstly 
iiKiimineiits  of  taste  an<l  "f  the  arts,  aiul  others 
(lepositori<'s  of  the  public  aichives,  not  only  pre- 
cious to  the  nation  as  the  memorials  of  its  origin 
and  its  early  transactions,  )>ut  interesting  to  all 
nations  as  contributions  to  the  genei'al  stock  of  his- 
torical instruction  and  ]>olitical  science."  Of  the 
[Miblic  buildings  only  the  Post  Office  was  saved  ; 
tlie  printing  establishment  of  the  "National  Intelli- 
gencer" and  a  few  private  dwellings  were  destroyed ; 
some  houses  and  stores  were  plundered,  and  the 
Navy  Yard  and  Potcmiac  Bridge,  to  prevent  their 
falling  into  the  enemy's  hands,  were  burned  by 
ourselves. 

The  wild  Russian  Cossacks,  who  had  sacrificed 
their  own  saci-ed  Mosc<>w,  in  1812,  as  an  act  of 
])ati'iotism,  had  s])ared  Paris  when  their  hour  for 
vengeance  had  struck,  in  1814;  bur  it  remained  f<>r 
civilized  Hi'itons,  "the  paiagons  of  ])erfect  men,"  iia 
sung  by  their  own  Spencer,  in  the  Nineteenth  Chris- 
tian Century,  to  conunit  an  act  of  vandalism  against 
the  children  of  their  own  loins  worthy  of  the  bar- 
barous ages  of  Alaric  oi'  Danish  \'ikings. 

The  capture  of  the  Capital  filled  the  nation  with 
consternatioti  and  mortification,  and,  <m  tlie  assend)- 
ling  of  Congress,  in  Se}»tend)er,  an  able  committee 
was  a[)pointe(l  to  investigate  the  causes  of  our  great 
disaster;  but,  where  so  many  men  of  shining  mark 
were  im])licate(l  and  occuri'ences  so  disgraceful  to 
the  government  existed,  it  was  difficult  to  ai'rive  at 
the  exact  truth  and  apportion  resjumsibility.     Angiy 


HHKJ.-(}KNKKAL    WALK  Kit    K.   AKMISTKAO. 


289 


crimiiiatioiis  jind  n'-ciiiniiiatioiis  f,>r  lout;  years  were 
ina«le;  ))ut,  as  (lie  actors  of  that  sa«l  drama  have 
]>asse<l  tVoni  tlie  stajjje,  the  (hojM'urtain  <»f  <>])livi(>ii 
has  }ii(hhMi  them  from  view.  The  cliief  indignation 
of  the  puhlic  was  agaijist  tlie  Secretary  of  War, 
wlio  was  charged  witli  jx^ixistent  pervei'sity  and  cul- 
l)alde  inefticiency.  Tlie  clamor  of  wliat  his  sarcas- 
tic pen  called  "n  village  mob,"  was  so  strong,  that 
the  I*resideiit  would  not  support  him,  and  Arm- 
strong, forced  to  leave  Washington,  resigned  his 
position  September  .'i,  1.S14,  at  Haltimore,  giving  his 
reasons  in  an  acrimonious  communication  to  the 
press  of  that  city. 

Tloss  and  Cockbnrn  having  fultilled  their  infam- 
ous mission,  and  fearing  that  the  hand  of  retrilmtion 
might  cutoff  their  retreat,  secretly  stole  away,  after 
a  terrific  tempest,  in  the  (hu-kness  of  tlie  night  of 
August  2r)th  ;  left  their  dead  unlmried  and  their 
wounded  to  our  humanity;  safely  reached  Benedict 
on  tlie  25)th,  and  embarked  on  ship-board  with  their 
booty  on  tlie  HOth — thus  completing  their  ten  days' 
caini)aigii,  a  I)ecameroiH>f  most  unfragrant  history. 

According  to  Cocklmrn's  well  <levise(l  scheme  of 
coiKpiest,  while  the  modern  Kiostratus  was  himself 
firing  the  C^a])itol,  Gordon,  his  lieutenant,  with  a 
light  s<|uadron  of  seven  vessels,  was  j)roceeding  up 
the  Potomac  on  his  errand  of  arson  and  plunder; 
reached  Fort  AVashington,  August  27th,  which  was 
evacuated  by  its  small  garrison,  through  the  pol- 
troonery of  its  commander,  on  the  discharge  of  the 
first  shell  of  the  enemy  ;  ^vas  in  hostile  array  before 
Alexandria  on  the  2ytli,  which,  being  a  defenseless 


290 


CHKSAPEAKE    (AMI'AKiX    <>F    1813   14, 


■V<     -fS 


town  with  not  over  one  lumdred  male  (•onil)atants, 
was  compelled  to  submit  to  tlic  British  ('a])tjiiirs 
hard  and  liuiniliatinL^  terms  |  commenced  his  retreat, 
Se[)teml)er  .'kl,  t'earini;,  with  just  cause,  that  it  miglit 
be  cut  ott'  by  shore-batteries,  fire-ships,  and  other 
ol;)stacles ;  and,  on  the  5)th,  by  a  combination  of  dili- 
ujence,  skill  and  i^ood  fortune,  reached  an  anchorage 
of  safety  for  his  entire  s([uadron  and  liis  twenty-one 
prize-vessels  laden  with  rich  booty. 

Wliile  C'Ockburn  in  j)erson  was  making  his  foray 
on  AVashington,  and  Gordon  moving  up  the  Potomac, 
Sir  Peter  Parker  was  <letailed  to  carry  out  the  other 
])art  of  tlie  Adniirars  programme  of  harassing  the 
C'hesapeake  coasts  and  threatening  Annapolis  and 
Baltimore.  The  latter  as  a  demonstration,  for 
which  it  was  originally  intended,  was  unnecessary 
after  the  fall  of  Washington,  nevertheless,  the  cus- 
tcmiary  destruction  of  [)rivatc  as  w<dl  as  public  j.rop- 
erty  was  continued. 

Parker,  on  the  evening  of  August  "JOth,  desiring 
as  he  said,  ''to  have  a  frolic  with  the  Yankees,"  for 
which  he  had  prepare<l  himself  by  a  carousal  with 
his  otticers,  debarked  about  two  hundred  men  with 
a  view  of  sui-prising  a  militia  camp  at  Moortields  on 


the  Eastern  Shore  of  Marvland 


The  movement, 


though  made  with  great  caution,  did  not  escape  the 
vigilance  of  C/olonel  Read,  commanding  about  two 
hundred  Marylanders,  well  posted,  residute,  and 
readv  to  receive  Parker's  impetuous  attack  made  on 
the  centre  of  the  camp  and  then  extending  to  botli 
flanks.  After  a  brief  but  severe  contest,  tlie  British 
retreated  leavin<r  thirteen  dead  and  three  wounded  on 


nKF(i.-(ii;M:i:AL  walkki;  k.   armistead. 


291 


the  field,  linker  irmiself  liad  the  main  Jirteiy  of 
his  tliiu:li  cut  l>y  a  musket-ball  and  bled  to  death 
before  he  reached  his  ship,  thus  trajjjieally  termina- 
ting his  night's  amusement. 

\\  hen  Coekburn  and  I^>ss  had  reached  the 
Chesa[)eake  and  learned  that  (lor(h)n's  expedition  u[) 
the  Potomac  was  successful,  they  at  once  began  to 
plot  new  mischief.  For  some  time  they  liad  had  a 
longing  eye  upon  the  rich  city  of  Baltimore  whicli 
jtromised  a  more  valuabU'  booty  than  A^'ashington, 
(»f  which  they  had  made  such  an  easy  con(piest. 
Accordingly,  with  a  lai"g<'  and  \\v\\  appointed  tieet, 
liaving  on  board  an  army  of  (»,<)( >0  vetcan  soldiers, 
Admii'al  Cochrane,  now  in  command,  entered  tlie 
Patapsco,  Septend)er  lltli.  Fortunately  the  Halti- 
morians,  fully  ai)preciating  their  danger  from  a  visit 
from  C\>ckburn,  the  Hi'itish  buccaneer,  had  made 
early  pre[>arations  to  pariy  the  expected  attack, 
The  local  forces  had  lu'cn  organized,  intrenclunents 
had  been  thrown  U]>  to  protect  the  city  by  land,  and 
Forts  Mtdlenryand  Cox  ington,  with  some  additional 
works,  were  well  armed  and  garrisoned  to  guard  the 
water-a})j)roach. 

Deeming  it  easier  to  attack  Baltimore  by  land, 
lloss,  on  the  morning  of  Sej)tend)er  1 '2th,  debarked 
at  North  Point,  a.  foi-ce  of  0,000  fighting  men,  of 
which  2,000  were  marines  and  2,000  sailors.  Imme- 
diately ui>on  learning  the  Hritish  movements,  Gen- 
eral Strike!',  with  .'i,200  men,  was  sent  by  General 
Samuel  Smith,  an  (»ld  Revolutionary  officer  in  com- 
mand at  Hallimoie,  to  watch  the  enemy.  lie  judi- 
ciously posted  his  forces  in  three  lines,  their  right 


pl^ ' 


■    ■■■ »  ^  f 


QUO 

^  (./  *J 


rilKSAPKAKE    CAMl'AIOX    OF    1813  14. 


resting  on  a  luaiidi  nt  Hear  Ch-eek,  and  tlieir  left 
upon  a  niai'sli.  Ross,  always  l)i'ave  and  (MHifident 
of  success,  led  liis  troops  as  at  Bladeiisburg,  but, 
before  the  battle  was  engaged,  the  British  (Jeneral 
was  mortally  wounded  by  one  of  our  sharp-shooters, 
which  devolved  the  coniiiiand  upon  C^olonel  Brooke, 
of  the  4:4th  regiment,  who  Aigor<^)Usly  j^i't'f^^ed  fV)r- 
ward  to  the  attack.  Though  our  army  was  greatly 
inferior  in  numbers  and  training  to  the  enemy's, 
victory  was  doubtful  for  two  hours,  when  some  of 
our  militia  gave  way.  Finally,  at  four  in  tln^  after- 
mxm,  Striker,  finding  that  the  siH)erior  British 
forces  could  no  longer  be  held  in  check,  ordered  a 
retreat,  which  was  well  executed,  to  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  city  intrenchinents,  the  enemy  remaining 
on  the  battle-field,  where  Brooke  bivouacked  for  the 
night. 

On  the  night  of  Sept.  12th,  Cochrane,  pioneered 
by  a  frigate  sounding  the  channel,  moved  up  the 
Patapsco  with  sixteen  large  ships,  five  of  which  were 
bomb-ketches,  coming  to  anchor  two  miles  fiH)m  Fort 
McHenry,  out  of  reach  of  its  guns.  This  now  his- 
toric little  fort  was  then  much  smaller  and  less 
powei'ful  than  at  })resent.  Fortunately  it  had  a 
brave  garrison,  commanded  by  a  true  soldiei",  who 
had  done  good  service  on  the  Niagara  frontier — 
Major  George  Arinistead,  of  the  Third  U.  S.  Artillery 
a  brother  of  Brig.-(ieneral  W.  K.  Armistead,  the 
Biographical  subject  of  this  Chapter. 

From  sunrise  in  the  morning  till  two  in  the 
afternoon  of  Sept.  18th,  the  British  ])omb-vessels 
poured  a  heavy  fire  upon  our   works,    which    the 


f  I 


HRKJ.-tiKNKRAL    WALKKIl    K.   AUMISTEAn. 


293 


galljiiit  Aniiistesid  was  compelled  to  endure  witlioiit 
being  able  to  infliet  any  injury  u[>on  the  enemy,  who 
lay  beyond  the  reach  of  his  artillery.  At  last  a  shell 
dismounte<l  one  of  our  24-pounder  guns,  killed  an 
otticer  and  wounded  several  men.  (\)chrane,  seeing 
tlie  confusion  produced  by  this  lucky  shot,  moved  up 
three  of  his  boml)-vessels  into  easier  range,  to  the 
manifest  delight  of  Armistead,  who  instantly  poured 
forth  from  every  gun  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell, 
which  com[)elled  the  venturesome  intruders  in  half  an 
h<)ur  to  fall  back  to  safer  distance,  from  which  the 
bond)ardment  was  resumed  more  furiously  than  be- 
fore, and  continued  with  one  or  two  short  interrup- 
tions until  past  midnight.  At  this  time,  under  cover 
of  the  darkness,  the  Admii'al  had  sent  above  the  fort 
\,2M)  })icked  men,  in  barges  with  scaling-ladders,  to 
capture  Fort  C-ovington  and  the  City  Battery,  and 
to  assault  Fort  McIIenrv  in  the  rear.  Unfortunately 
for  these  daring  men  their  movement  was  discovered 
by  the  \\\Ait  of  theii*  own  rockets,  tired  to  make  visible 
the  shores  upon  which  they  were  to  land.  Instantly 
the  alarm  was  given,  and  from  Fort  McIIenry  and 
the  other  works  a  tierce  tire  was  kept  up  for  two 
hours,  till  these  invaders  weie  com[)elled  to  I'etreat. 
The  bombardment  from  the  fleet  continued  till  seven 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  having  lasted 
for  twenty-tive  hours,  during  which  the  enemy  threw 
from  1,500  to  1,K0(>  shells,  of  which  about  400  fell 
within  the  works,  inflicting  on  us  a  loss  of  })ut  four 
men  killed  and  twenty-four  wounded.  It  was  on 
this  memorable  occasion  that  Francis  8.  Key,  who, 
while  conHned  on  board  the  enemy's  fleet,  an  un- 


iif 


WW 


I 


I 


294 


CHESAPEAKE    rAMI'AFON    OF    1K13  14. 


willing  spectator  of  the  lK)ml)ai'(linent,  wrote  that 
song,  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  which  is  destined 
to  live  for  all  time  in  the  heai't  of  every  [)atriot  "of 
the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  l)rave." 

While  the  fleet  was  poui-ing  its  iron  rain  uponFoii 
McHenry,  the  British  land  forces,  early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  l^Uli  l)roke  cam])  and  marched  to  within 
sight  of  the  Baltimore  intrenchments,  Bi'ooke  ma- 
menvred  all  day  withont  snccess,  to  discover  some 
weak  point  or  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  General 
Smith,  when  upon  ascertaining  that  the  bondjardment 
of  the  forts  was  producing  little  effect,  he  held  a 
conference  in  the  evening  with  xVdmiral  Cochrane, 
both  concluding  that  the  capture  of  Baltimore  was 
a  failure.  Accordingly  the  l^ritish  army  stole  oft* 
to  North  Point  to  re-end)ark,  while  the  discomtited 
Cochrane  weighed  anchor  at  t>  a.  >[.,  on  the  14th, 
and  stood  down  the  Potapsco. 

This  Campaign,  which  l>egan  with  our  credita- 
ble success  at  Craney  Island  and  ended  in  the  bril- 
liant defense  of  Baltimore,  had  an  intermediate 
history  most  humiliating  to  the  nation,  for  which 
the  civil,  far  more  than  the  military  authorities  were 
responsible.  Upon  these  short-comings  we  will  otter 
some  criticisms. 

The  first  and  most  important  omission  of  the 
government  was  the  total  neglect  of  any  timely 
defense  of  its  Capital.  War  was  inevitable  for 
many  years  prior  to  its  declaration,  June  18,  1812, 
during  which  ])eriod  mau}'^  of  the  capitals  of  Eu- 
rope had  fallen  l)efore  the  conqueror.  In  December, 
1812,  a  British  squadron  was  known  to  be  at  Ber- 


f  1 


BRIG.-GENEIIAL    WALKER    K.    AKMISTEAD. 


295 


(lita- 
])nl- 
idiate 
liicli 
were 
offer 

the 
|iuely 

for 
.812, 

Eu- 
Inber, 

Ber- 


miulji  destined  for  some  southern  port ;  Februarv  4, 
181.'},  ii  Heet  entered  the  Cliesapeake  ;  and  June  22, 
1818,  the  attempt  to  take  Norfolk  occurred.     After 
a maraudini;* excursion  to  tiie  C^arolinas,  Cocklnun  re- 
turned,March  1,  1814,  to  resume  theplunderini^of  tlie 
Chesapeake    shores  ;  in  the  meantime,  January  20, 
1814,  some  4,()()(»  Peninsular  veterans  liavins^  reached 
Bermuda.     These  sliadows  of  coming  events  were 
soon    followed    by    the     abdication    of     Napoleon, 
Api'il  11,  1814,  and  the  availability  of  Wellington's 
whole  veteran  army  for  tlie   invasion  of  the   Ignited 
States.     It  was  announced,  June  28,    1814,   tliat  a 
large  iieet  liad  left  Bermuda  with  troo[)s  on  board, 
wliich  arrived   in    the  Chesjqjeake,  July  14,    1814. 
Yet,  witli  all  these   am[»le    warnings,  and  knowing 
that  the  eneniv   had  visited  almost  everv  river  fall- 
ing  into   tlie  Cliesapeake,  nothing  was  <lone  to  in- 
crease our  navy  in  these  waters  or  make  additions 
to  our  land  defenses.     Not  a  battery  was  ))uilt,  not 
a   gun  was  mounted,  nor  a  regiment  mustered  into 
service   for   the   defense  of  Washington,  of   whose 
coming  danger  we  had  had  more  than  twelve  months 
m^tice,  and  of  its  impending  [)eril  not  less  than  six. 
Oidy  six  weeks  before  the  Ca])itars  destruction,  was 
the  administration   roused   from  its  long-continued 
torpor.     The    Cabinet,  July   1,   1814,    when  finally 
roused  from  its  sleep  of  security,  met  in  des])onding 
consultation  liow  to  save  Washington,    and  adopted 
a   programme    of    defense,    magnificent    on    paper, 
though  practically  almost   worthless.     An  army  of 
nearly  100,(K)o  militia  w^as   decreed  to  ])e  held  in 
readiness,   of    which   15,000  were  to   be   fortliwith 


I[ 


21)6 


CHESAPEAKE    CAMPAIGN    OF    1813-14. 


ii 


m 


I 


1! 
•I 


11  jl! 


i: 


muHtered  into  service.  But  of  tliis  i^raiul  array  few 
turned  out,  raont  of  tlie  <jUotas  continuing  home- 
soldiers.  Owing  to  a  defect  in  tlie  state  law,  the 
OjOOO  re((uired  at  once  from  Pennsylvania  could  not 
be  drafted ;  through  lack  of  timely  notice  the  Vir- 
ginia (juota  of  2,(M)()  was  summoned  too  late  to  be 
mustered  in  ;  and  of  the  <),00(>  Marylaiidersre(iuired, 
but  2,()(H)  ever  appeaivd,  and  these  ari'ived,  jaded 
and  disorganized,  only  in  time  to  be  defeated  at 
Hladeiis])urg.  Hence,  Winder's  army  numbered  not 
much  over  5,000,  mostly  raw  militia  which  had 
never  drawn  a  trigger  against  an  enemy.  At  this 
time  only  'MW  regulars  were  left  in  the  extended 
limits  of  the  Tenth  Military  District,  oOO  having 
been  marched  from  Washington  to  the  Northern 
frontier  only  two  weeks  before,  notwithstanding  the 
alarm  of  an  impending  attack  on  the  Capital,  which 
the  Secretary  of  War  e\en  then  rebuked  as  an  idle 
dream. 

This  small  force,  which  had  been  assembled  by 
driblets,  was  provided  with  neither  staff  nor  engi- 
neers, and  had  hardly  a  handful  of  cavalry.  Instead 
of  being  placed  in  camps  of  instruction,  where  our 
forces  could  watch  the  threatened  points — Haiti- 
more,  Annapolis,  Alexandria  and  Washington  (all 
within  ten  days'  reach  of  the  enemy),  when  they 
finally  came  together  they  were  without  the  organi- 
zation, drill  and  discipline  essential  to  an  army,  or, 
to  use  the  words  of  General  Winder,  "  not  two  men 
of  the  whole  knew  any  thing  of  military  science." 

From  the  Secretary  of  War's  dilatoriness  or  hos- 
tility ^o  General  Winder,  who  had  been  selected  to 


BRIG.-OENERAL    WALKKI^    K.     ATJ^FTSTEAD. 


207' 


eiigi- 
steiul 
e  our 
Balti- 

they 


>n 


1  »r  lios- 
!ted  to 


rominatul  theTentli  District  instead  (►f(n'iiejal  Moses 
IWter,  who  was  Aniistron,ii;'s  dioice,  Wasliinuftoii  was 
defenseless,  as  tlie  enemy  well  knew,  u|>  t»>  the  very 
(lay  <d'  the  a<'tual  invasion  ol"  oui-  soil.  Winder,  so 
early  as  July  Dth,  a  few  days  after  his  a)>|»ointnient 
to  eonuinuul,  in  an  able  eonunnnieation  [minted  out 
our  deticieneies  and  made  some  (wcellent  sniriJfestions ; 
but  the  Secretary  of  War  vouchsafed  no  reply,  con- 
tentiuii;  himself  with  objectini;  to  callini!;  out  more 
troo])s,  liecause  lie  considered  militia  only  available 
on  sudden  emeriji;encies,  and  the  exj)ense  of  their 
beinii;  encam[)ed  till  called  inti>  action,  would  l»e  a 
useless  charsj::e  u})on  our  empty  treasury. 

This  dejtloi'able  condition  of  thinii's  does  not, 
howevei",  hold  the  (\)nnnan<lin<i:-CTenerjd  blameless, 
for  he  had  s<>me  force,  the  elements  w<M-e  all  in  his 
favor,  Jind  the  |)ath  of  the  invader  was  beset  with 
nHdtij)lied  difficulties.  Ross'  army  was  destitute  of 
cavalry;  had  but  two  small  pieces  of  ai'tillery 
dragji;ed  by  han<l ;  was  enervate<l  by  long  confine- 
ment on  shi[)d^oai'd  ;  had  to  march,  with  hesitation 
and  apj)rehension,  forty  miles  in  sultiy  August,  men 
continually  falling  by  the  way  side  overcome  l)y 
heat;  and  the  country  was  covered  with  forests  and 
intersected  by  streams,  defiles  and  marshes,  where  a 
single  lioTU''s  stout  resistanc<'  would  have  checkec! 
further  advance.  Vet,  with  all  these  advantages 
and  a  local  knowledge  of  the  banks  of  the  Patuxent, 
not  a  bridge  was  burned,  no  i-oad  obstructed  even 
by  the  felling  of  a  tree,  no  shaij)-shooters  hung  upon 
the  flanks  and  rear  of  the  coming  foe,  and  not  for 
one  moment  was  the  passage  of  a  stieam  oi'  ravine 


298 


CHESAPEAKE    CAMPAIGN    OF    1813-14. 


disputed.  How  different  was  tlie  course  of  Schuyler 
wlien  Bui'goyue,  invading  our  territory,  came  down 
the  valley  of  tlie  upper  Hudson  in  1777  ! 

The  next  ea:rei!:ious  blunder  was  the  order  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  destroy  Barney''s  flotilla, 
thus  accomplishing  for  the  enemy  the  j)rinc'iple  pur- 
pose for  which  he  undertook  his  difficult  and  dan- 
gerous expedition.  The  bold  Coinmodore,  l)ef()re 
and  after,  showed  what  he  might  have  done  Avith  his 
small  craft  and  courageous  sailors  to  harass  the 
enemy.  By  this  act  of  inexplicable  terror  which 
seemed  to  paralyze  the  government,  all  naval  means 
of  threatening  the  enemy's  communifations  with 
his  ships  were  removed,  the  army  rendered  more 
hopeless,  and  Cockburn  invited  to  prosecute  his  raid 
and  achieve  his  daring  design  of  plundering  and 
burning  Washington. 

After  the  enemy  had  reached  Uppei'  Marl- 
borough, it  should  have  been  evident  to  Winder  that 
Cockburn  and  Ross,  Avith  the  great  prize  of  Wash- 
ington before  them,  Avere  threatening  other  points 
(mly  as  demonstrations  to  deceive  him,  hence  our 
Commanding-General  should  have  concentrated  every 
thing  at  Long  Old  Fields,  an  admiral)le  and  strong 
position  covering  our  Avhole  base  of  operations  fi'om 
Alexandria  to  Bladensburg.  Had  he  fouc;ht  his 
battle  here  where  he  had  seventeen  pieces  of  artillery 
and  3,200  combatants,  Avhicli  could  have  l)een  in- 
creased in  a  day  to  5,000,  his  chances  of  success 
would  have  been  better  than  at  Bladensburg  ;  and 
in  the  event  of  defeat  his  retreat  on  Washington  was 
quite  as  easy,  with  the  advantage  of  a  broad  river 


BRIG.-GENKKAL    WALKER    K.    ARMISTEAD. 


299 


yier 
own 


I  the 
tilla, 
pur- 
dan- 
efore 
h  his 
i   the 
vhic'h 
neaiis 
with 
more 
is  raid 
ijr  and 


Marl- 
that 
IW  ash- 
points 
e  our 
every 
strong 
(  from 
it   his 
tillery 
en  in- 
uccess 
and 
)n  was 
river 


inteiiiosed  between  him  and  Ids  pursuei's.  Tins 
fatal  22(1  of  August,  of  Americ.-ui  ina(3tion,  of  Win- 
der's failure  t()  throw  the  slii^htest  obstacle  in  the 
enemy's  path,  of  almost  [)aiu('  in  the  presence  of  the 
foe,  and  dastai'dly  retreat  almost  without  firing  a 
shot,  was  the  knell  of  our  safety  and  signal  to  em- 
bolden the  British  corsair  to  carry  out  his  fiendish 
purposes.  It  was  the  anniversary  of  Bosworth  field, 
so  calamitous,  moi-e  than  three  centuries  before,  to 
the  House  of  York,  and  a  safe  deliverance  from  dan- 
ger to  that  of  Lancaster. 

Winder,  having  abandoned  his  advantageous 
position  at  Long  Old  Fields  about  five  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  23d,  retreated,  or  rather  ran,  direct  to 
Washington,  leaving  General  Stansbury  to  occui)y 
Bladensburu:,  thus  cfiviuijc  Ross  the  advantage,  had 
lie  been  moi'e  alei't,  of  falling  first  upon  one  corps 
and  then  upon  the  othei',  thus  easily  destroying 
both. 

Our  so-called  ai'my,  exce[)t  Barney's  seamen  and 
Peter's  rei^ulars,  was  a  heteroi^eneous  mass  without 
order  or  discipline,  and  had  scarcely  one  ofHcer  with 
the  least  knowledge  of  actual  W7irfare.  The  various 
bodies  at,  and  ari'ivingin  hot  haste  near  Bladensburg, 
on  the  morning  of  August  24tli,  nund)ered  about 
5,100  combatants,  exclusive  of  Colonel  Minor's  force 
of  600  who  were  detained  at  the  armory  watchiny; 
the  counting  (►f  flints  by  the  cautious  issuing  oflicei". 
Most  of  them  had  been  under  arms  nearly  all  nifcht, 
were  worn  down  with  constant  marchin<i:and  counter- 
marching  under  an  almost  tropical  sun,  and  thus, 
weary  and  dispirited,  w^ere   hurried    into  action   in 


300 


niESAPKAKE    CAMI'AKJX    OF    1813  It. 


three  lines  of  ])attle  too  far  apart  for  mutual  suppoi-t. 
Ill  their  front  the  bridice  acr<)ss  the  str«'ani  was  not 
destroyed,  n(»r  the  villajjje  of  Bladensl)ur<r,  ])artly 
built  of  brick,  converted  into  a  defensible  ti'tc-dt-jHni.t; 
everytliing  on  tin*  contrary  beinu^  done  to  invite  the 
easy  apj)roacli  of  the  enemy.  To  add  to  our  mis- 
fortunes, instea«l  of  one,  we  had  at  least  three  Com- 
nian<linii:-(Tenerals — Winder,  Monroe,  and  Armstrong 
— each  giving  orders  without  any  concert  of  action. 
'^  Everything  seemed  done  to  organize  defeat,  every 
pre2)aration  made  toyield,  nosj)iiMt  shown  oi* arrange- 
ments to  conquer." 

The  battle  being  lost  and  the  I'etreat  oi'dered,  no 
rallying  point  was  designated,  hence,  most  of  the 
troops  were  jmictically  disbanded.  When  the  British 
threw  600  brave  infantry  undei-  C'olonel  Musgrave 
into  Chew's  house  at  (Termantown,  they  successfully 
resisted  a  laige  part  of  Washington's  army,  and  turned 
the  tide  of  battle.  TIow  ditferent  misjht  have  been 
the  fate  of  the  Ca[)ital,  had  some  of  Winder's  forces 
been  thrown  into  the  strong,  well  built  public  build- 
ing, which  Ross  had  no  artillery  to  breach  I 

Our  troo])S  being  dispersed  and  utterly  demoral- 
ized, no  attempt  was  made  to  im])ede  the  enemy's 
retreat  to  his  ships,  though  a  few  active  partisan 
corps  might  have  inflicted  severe  punishment  on  the 
British,  or  at  least  have  compelled  them  to  abandon 
their  booty. 

Many  minor  criticisms  could  be  made,  all  of  which 
would  be  to  the  same  jmrport,  showing  that  govern- 
ment apathy,  divided  councils,  want  of  preparation, 
reliance  upon  raw  levies,  and  ignoring  military  expe- 


Bl{r(i.-(JE\KUAI,    W.M-KFU    K.     AKMISTKAI). 


801 


moral- 

irtisau 
i>u  the 

wliic'h 
i-overu- 
ratiou, 


ex 


pe- 


rieiice  uiul  education,  do  not  conduee  to  tlie  snecess- 
ful  eondnct  of  war  nor  to  tlie  honor  of  a  nation's 
arniH. 

We  will  conclude  tliis  sad  cliapter  of  our  history, 
with  a  brief  ncjtice  of  Iirig.-(ieneral  Arniistead,  who, 
after  the  successful  defense  of  Craney  Island,  con- 
tinued to  superintend  the  fortifications  of  the  Ches- 
apeake and  its  tributary  waters  till  N<  )vend)er  12,1818, 
when  he  hecanie  Colonel  and  Chief  Engineer,  U.  S. 
Army,  with  head(|uarters  at  AVashington  city. 

On  the  re-oruanization  of  the  Army,  he  was 
transferred,  June  1,  1S21,  to  the  head  of  the  Third 
Regiment  of  Artillery;  and,  "for  faithful  services 
ten  years  in  one  grade,"  was  brevetted,  November  12, 
1828,  a  Brigadiei'-General.  In  188(),  he  was  ordered 
to  Florida,  where  he  remained  five  years  engaged 
against  the  Seminole  Indians,  part  of  that  time, 
(May  (),  1840  to  Uny  81,  1841)  being  in  conmiand 
of  the  Floi'ida  army,  making  his  headijuarters  at  St. 
Augustine.  He  ordered  expeditioas  in  various 
directions  to  penetrate  the  everglades;  but  the  ex- 
treme heat,  the  unknown  haunts  of  the  savages,  and 
sickness  among  the  troops  fi'ustrated  the  operations 
of  the  Commanding-General,  who,  in  other  respects, 
conducted  the  cami)aign  with  zeal  and  energy. 

Upon  his  I'eturn  fVom  Florida,  he  was  placed, 
October  15, 1841,  on  a  Board  to  select  a  site  foi-  a  West- 
ern Ai-mory,  upon  which  he  continued  till  February  U, 
1848,  subse(|uently  making  the  head([uarters  of  his 
regiment  at  Fort  Aloultrie,  S.  C. ;  but  his  long  ser- 
vice, particularly  in  the  swam]»s  of  Florida,  had  so 
undermined  his  health  that  he  died,  October  18, 1845, 


302 


CUKSAI'KAKK    CAMI'AKiX    OK    1813  14. 


S1 


lit  h'lti  home  in  Upperville,  Va.,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
tliree. 

General  Annistead  was  not  a  hrilliant  iiuin  ;  but 
a  brave,  eai'iiest  and  faitliful  soldier.  He  ponsessed 
a  very  kindly  nature;  was  noted  for  his  generous 
hospitality  ;  and  always  conscientiously  dischai'ged 
every  duty  entrusted  to  liis  performance. 


lii 


'S^  " 


; 

!  ; 


w 


m 


CHAPTER  KKJn.TIl. 


LOUISJANA    (^AMPAKIN    OF    1H1M;>  ; 

Wiril     A     HKKJUAl'lllCAI.    SKiorcit     OK 

MAJOR  A.  LACAURlKin-:    LATOUK 


^L 


vi  "■. 


From  Simmkr  (\\Mi'Ai(iNs  lu  the  Friu'id  Nortli,  we 
now  turn  to  the  Uriel',  hrilliaiit,  decisive  and  nieniora- 
ble  Winter  CniMpainii  of  1  S  1  4  IT)  in  tlie  Sunny  South, 
wliicli  added  another  ilhiininated  ])an('  to  our  coun- 
try's liistory,  and  tei'ininated  in  a  l»Ia/e  of  ,ii;h)ry,  a 
war  Ix'Liiiii  in  i;l(»(»!n,  disaster  and  national  dishonoi". 

in  obedience  to  Hi'itain's  l>arl>arous  or(h'rs  "to 
destroy  and  lay  waste  such  towns  and  disti'icts  u})on 
tlie  coast  as  may  he  accessihle  to  naval  attack,"  the 
(^irolina  and  ('hesa|teake  shores  had  heen  wantonly 
ravage<l  ;  the  puMic,  and  some  j>rivate  l)uildinii;s  of 
tlie  nation's  Capital  were  hurned  ;  and  Baltimore 
s.'ived  from  like  destruction,  by  the  hraxc  defense 
of  Fort  Mel lenry,  under  "  the  Stai'S|>anii:led  Banner 
which  so  triumphantly  waxed"  till  the  crest-fallen 
foe  had  iuiioiuiniously  lied  from  tin*  l*atapsco. 

New  (Orleans  was  to  be  the  next  doomed  city,  for 
the  c.ipture  of  which  an  army  ol'  foiiiteen  thousand 
\ cterans,  fresh  IVom  Feninsular  victories,  sui»j)orted 
by  a  ileet  of  lifly  ships,  iiicludinu'  ti'ans|)()rts,  waw 
destined;  while  an  Indian   war  was  t(»  be  fomented 

Mi} 


306 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAIGN    OF    1814  15. 


Uu 


_i jiii  i. 


Oil  our  soiitliern  border.  No  woiuler  tluit  tlie  great 
Emporium  of  tbe  West,  indejteiideutly  of  its  lich 
"  booty "  tempting  British  cupidity,  sliould  liave 
been  selected  as  tlie  objective  point  of  the  campaign, 
for,  every\vhere,  the  Gulf  coasts  were  ap[)roachable ; 
numerous  bayous,  rivers  and  lakes  freely  admitted 
water-craft  close  to  the  city  ;  forts  and  batteries  no- 
where defended  its  outposts ;  neighboring  S})anish 
settlements  freely  har])ored  British  ships;  Louisiana's 
mixed  })opulation  was  scarcely  Americanized ;  we 
had  l)ut  a  single  sloop  of  war  and  six  gun-boats  to 
oppose  to  the  enemy's  powerfid  fleet ;  a  handful  of 
newly  recruited  regulars  was  our  only  force  to  meet 
England's  army  of  picked  troops ;  and  for  Ijotli  bel- 
ligerents the  stake,  to  be  won  or  lost,  was  immense, 
for  it  was  the  precious  key  to  the  mighty  Mississipj)i 
cutting  in  twain  our  entire  territory,  and  almost 
connecting  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  with  the  enemy's 
vast  Canadian  possessions. 

8o  conlident  was  the  British  government  of 
complete  success,  that  a  full  set  of  officers  wafe  em- 
barked on  board  the  s(|uadron,  for  the  administra- 
tion of  civil  affairs  in  Louisiana,  which  was  ex- 
pected [)ronn)tly,  and  without  difficulty  or  danger, 
to  fall  into  their  hands.  But  Eni»:land  little  knew 
the  character,  energy,  and  genius  of  the  man,  who, 
out  of  discordant  and  heterogeneous  matei'ials,  as  if 
by  magic,  could  create  and  organize  a  small  but 
efficient  army,  im])iied  with  his  own  spirit  and 
love  of  country,  which  was  destined,  in  a  campaign  of 
a  few  weeks,  to  humble  the  arrogant  pride  of 
haughty  Albion. 


kiigli  of 
lide   of 


MAJOR  A.  LACARRTERE  LATOUR. 


307 


Andrew  JuckHoii,  "  the  saviour  of  LouiHiaiia,"  was 
commissioned  a  Major-dreneral,  May  1,  1814,  in  the 
I'nited  States  Army,  while  resting  at  the  "  Hermit- 
age," after  his  arduous  (•am])aign  against  the  Creek 
Indians.  From  tiiis  charming  home,  near  Nash- 
ville, he  was  called  to  the  command  of  the  Seventh 
Military  District,  with  head<[uarters  at  Mobile. 
His  Argus  vigilance  soon  unmasked  British  intrigue 
among  the  Southern  savages ;  thwarted  their  seduc- 
tive otters  to  win  over  Lafitte's  Baratarian  snmg- 
glei-s;  counteracted  their  ])lots  to  excite  hostility 
among  Louisiana's  mixed  population  ;  and  discov- 
ered S])anish  violation  of  neutrality  at  Pensacola,  in 
whose  harhoi'  the  British  ships  lay  at  anchor,  from 
whence  sup[>lies  were  distributed,  and  in  whose 
foils  anununition  was  stored.  While  promjjtly 
arranging  to  crush  this  alliance  of  Britons,  Span- 
iards and  Indians,  he  was  no  less  active  in  secui-ing 
volunteers  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  to  give  })roofs 
of  his  determination.  The  American  Hercules  re- 
solved to  destroy,  by  one  vigorous  blow,  this  triple- 
headed  Cerberus  guarding  the  <>uter  sea  poi-tal  to 
Louisiana. 

Meanwhile  from  their  Pensacola  base,  the  Bi'it- 
ish  and  theii"  Indian  allies  were  pi'eparing  to  seize 
an  innei'  i;ate  to  New  ( )rleans — Fort  Bowyer — a 
feeble  work  on  a  headland  of  Mobile  Bay.  Jackson 
threw  into  it  180  regulai-  infantry,  under  the  bi'ave 
Major  Lawrence,  wh(»,  with  twenty  small  pieces  of 
artillery  behind  low,  thin  parapets,  gained  Septem- 
ber 15,  1814,  over  four  slii})s  and  a  land  force,  hav- 
ing 92   guns  and   1,880  men,  a  glorious  victory,  I'e- 


!'. 


m 
it  ■ ' 


l\OS 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAKiN    OF    1814  15. 


suiting  in  the  destnu'tion  of  the  enemy's  flag-sliip 
and  killinii'  'Mu\  woundinii;  '282  of  their  wliole  force, 
while  our  loss  was  but  eight.  This  repulse  was 
fatal  to  British  j^restige,  and  weakened  their  hold 
upon  the  savages,  who  tied  to  their  forest  fastnesses 
to  escape  the  wrath  of  one  they  had  much  reason 
to  dread.  It  also  gave  a  great  impulse  to  recruiting 
volunteers  and  harmoiiizini;  all  discordant  elements 
in  New  Orleans. 

The  defeated  enemy  were  received  as  friends 
and  allies  at  Pensacola,  the  sii])servient  S])anish 
suffering  the  British  to  garrison  their  forts.  Jack- 
son,  without  waiting  for  orders,  determined  to  carry 
out  his  meditated  plans  upon  his  own  responsibility, 
"peaceably  if  he  could,  forcibly  if  he  must,"  and 
thus  i)romptly  end  this  gross  vit)lation  of  the  hnv 
of  nations  in  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  the  enemy, 
Accordinj^h',  so  soon  as  he  could  assemble  a  suth- 
cient  force,  he  marched  to  West  Flori<la ;  seized  Pen- 
sacola, November  7,  1814  ;  compelled  the  British  fleet 
to  put  to  sea ;  dispersed  the  remaining  savages ;  and 
caused  the  fortifications,  u])on  which  they  had  relied 
for  protection,  to  be  destroyed. 

By  this  vigorous  execution  of  his  l)old  concej)- 
tion,  Jackson  had  secured  his  left  flank,  produced  a 
great  moral  effect  upon  the  Indians,  and  [>re vented 
future  Spanish  co-operation  with  the  enemy.  lie 
now  marched  westward;  and,  after  providing  for  the 
defense  of  Mobile,  arrived,  December  2,  1814,  at  New 
Orleans. 

Though  worn  down  by  fatigue,  anxiety  and  sick- 
ness, his  coming  had  an  electrical  effect  on  the  citi- 


AFAJOR    A.  LACARKIERE    LATOl'R. 


309 


zens,  and  tlie  cry  of  "  Jackson's  come ''  jmssed  from 
moutli  to  moutli,  fillini::  «ill  with  hope  and  banishing 
despondency.  Divided  councils,  chaotic  confusion, 
lack  of  troops  and  arms,  o])en  ])asses  unguai'ded,  an<l 
the  neai'  ap})roach  of  the  enemy  had  seemed  to  fore- 
doom the  city  to  certain  destruction,  and  ])i-esaijed 
that  Louisiana  could  only  be  saved  from  capture  by 
a  Providential  miracle. 

Jackson  lost  not  a  moment,  nor  s])ared  any  exer- 
tions to  establish  order,  maintain  disci] )line  and 
inspii'e  contidence.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  study 
of  the  to]»oo;raphy  of  the  country  ;  closely  examined 
every  approach  to  the  city  ;  and  bent  all  his  enei'i^ies 
to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy.  He  ordered 
forts  to  be  repaired,  batteries  to  be  built,  and  bayous 
to  ])e  obstructed  by  his  Chief   Kuijineer. 

Major  Arsp^.xk  Lacauhikre  Latofr,  then  a  Civil 
Engineer  of  Louisiana,  filled  this  imj)ortant  ])osition. 
Of  this  excellent  officer,  whose  modesty  eipialled 
his  intelligence,  we  regret,  after  the  most  diligent 
search,  that  we  have  only  the  scantiest  materials  for  a 
biogi-aphical  sketch.  That  so  little  should  be  known 
of  him,  even  at  New  Orleans,  is  most  strange,  for 
lie  must  have  been  a  man  of  proniinence  t<>  have 
been  selected  l)y  General  Jackson  for  the  responsi- 
ble duties  that  devolved  upon  him  at  such  a  crisis. 
Besides,  we  have  evidence  that  he  was  an  author  of 
note,  foi- in  his  "Historical  Memoir  of  the  War  in 
West  Florida  and  Louisiana  in  1H14-15,"  we  have 
the  best  account  of  that  great  Southei-n  cam|)aign, 
whicli  has  been  the  basis  of  all  that  has  since  been 
written  upon   the  subject,  and  the  careful  ])erusal, 


^ 


310 


LOITI8IANA    OAMPAIfiN    OF    ISIl  15. 


which  we  liave  <^iveii  to  tlic  woik,  satisfies  lis  of  tlie 
accuracy  and  conscicMitious  tich^litv  of  the  iiarnition. 

Major  Latour  was  horn  during  the  French  Revo- 
hition  ill  Auveri^ne,  France,  tlie  fertih'  huid  of  <^reat 
Hohliers  like  Turenne,  DeliUe  and  Desaix;  and, 
<hni})tless,  was  a  descendant  from  tlie  same  family 
with  Latour  (T  Aiiverj^ne,  the  ''First  (Jrenadier  of 
France,"  who  "Died  on  the  Field  of  Honor,"  fFune  27, 
1800,  at  Oberliausen,  He  received  an  ex<'eilent  mil- 
itary echication  ;  in  17i>.'{,  left  his  nat  ve  land  to 
seek  an  asylum  in  St.  I)omiii<ji;o,  from  whi(di  lie  was 
driven  by  the  insurrection  of  the  blacks;  and  finally, 
in  1S02,  took  u]>  his  residence  in  Louisiana,  tlieii 
French  territory.  The  enujineer  i:;raduates  of  our 
own  Military  Academy  })eini(  mostly  eni*;aii;e(l  on  the 
Northern  frontier  and  in  su[>erintendini;  tlu*  coast 
defenses,  (ieneral  Jackson  was  compelled  to  seek 
elsewhere  for  a  competent  Chief  Fnt^ineer,  and  was 
fortunate  in  tindinii:  Major  Latour  who  had  heeii 
fitted  in  a  French  i^overnmeiit  <Mi<j::ineer  school  for 
the  jM'ofession,  and  besides  was  familiar  with  the 
wliole  theatr<M>f  war  in  Louisiana,  ])articularly  about 
New  Orleans,  of  which  he  had  made  surveys. 

Latour,  under  (ieneral  JacksoiTs  orders,  repaired 
Fort  St.  Philip,  destroyed  tlie  wooden  barracks 
within  the  work,  and  mounted  additional  aitillerv 
upon  the  ram))arts  and  covered-way.  Mcn'e effectually 
to  defend  the  passa<ii;e  by  the  Mississippi,  he  erected 
two  batteries  for  24-])oun(lers  on  the  rii,dit  bank  of 
the  riv^er  :  one  on  the  site  of  old  i'^)rt  Bourbon,  and 
the  other  half  a  mile  above.  Other  batteries  were 
thrown  up  to  guard    the  most  important  passes  to 


MAJOR    A,   LACAHUIEKE    LATOUK. 


311 


I  the 
ition. 
levo- 
n-reat 
aiul, 
imily 
er  of 
lie  27, 
it  inil- 

11(1   to 

e  was 
ill  ally, 

then 
f  our 
i>n  the 

coast 
)   seek 


1   was 

IxMMl 

ol   t'oi' 

\\    the 

ilxmt 


|)airt'< 
Irraek 


Killery 
•tually 

h'CCtcMl 

k    of 

1 


1)11 


11,  aiK 


were 


kses 


to 


New  Oi'leaiis,  particularly  at  the  confluence  of  the 
bayou  Sauvaijje  and  C'hef-Menteur ;  while  all  others, 
from  Attakaj>as  to  Manchac,  leadini^  from  the  ocean 
into  the  interior  of  the  country,  were  obstructed  to 
the  extent  that  time  and  means  pennitted.  For 
executing  these  im])ortant  works  and  siil)se((uently 
for  throwiiiii;  up  the  intrenched  lines  on  both  banks 
of  the  Mississi]>pi,  soldiers  were  drafted  by  detach- 
ments from  each  of  the  several  corps,  and  kept  hai'd 
at  work,  sometimes  ])ast  midnight,  without  their 
showing  the  least  imj)atieiice  or  expressing  a  murmur 
of  discontent.  Like  ti'ue  patriots  they  were  actuated 
by  the  no})lest  feelings,  a])))reciated  that  a  rich  eity 
and  a  gi'eat  territoiy  weiv  under  their  protection,  and 
exulted  in  the  thought  of  defending  their  fellow  cit- 
izens and  a\enging  theii-  countryV  wrongs.  Laige 
gangs  of  plantation  negroes  also  assisted  in  the  good 
work. 

The  exjH'cted  <Miemy,  fast  a])]»roaching  on  his 
errand  of  destruction,  supj)osed  that  we  were  still 
ignorant  of  his  movements;  but  (^)mmodore  Pattei'- 
son,  commanding  th<*  New  Orleans  naval  station, 
had  received  a  letter  from  Pensacola,  dated  Dec.  oth, 
informing  him  of  the  arrival  of  a  large  British  fleet, 
with  an  army  on  board,  which  was  destined  to  act 
against  New  ( )i-l<'ans.  A  few  days  latei-,  this  fleet 
anchored  between  (^at  and  Shij)  Islaiul,  and  in  small 
boats  rapidly  exj)e(lited  troo[»s  through  the  shallow 
waters  of  Lake  Horgne,  hoping  to  sur[)i'isc  Jackson 
and  ca]>ture  the  city  before  their  presence  was  even 
susj)ected.  I  low  little  the  enemy  knew  of  the  sleep- 
less energy  and  indomitable  will  of  their  great  antajjo- 


I 


I 


.•U2 


LOUISIANA    (  AMI'AKiN    (»I'    1«H    15. 


iiist  tlie  s(MjUf'l  soon  |>ro\(Ml.  Alrcjidy  our  i:;mil»oiits, 
imdci'  Licutciiaiit  Jones  of  (lie  i\ji\v,  li;i<l  t;ik«'n 
position,  nc.'ii"  MalluMinMix  Island  in  Lake  lioi'ujne, 
to  (lisputc  tlic  t'nrdicr  passaii;*'  of  the  lifitisli  haru^eH, 
wliicli,  Dec.  14th,  viLCoi'ously  attacked  tliein.  Our 
tive  Li;nnl)oats,  fast  j)lanted  in  tlie  mud,  with  lSi>  men 
on  board,  wei'c  atta('k<Ml  l»y  r<»i'ty-t  wo  I»ai'i2;«'s  and 
iaunelies  haviiiij:;  a  (•oni[)Ieinent  of  l/J<Ml  men.  Not- 
witlistandiiii::  this  enormous  disparity  ol'  f'<»ree,  tlie 
Americans  defended  tlienisel\'es  i'oi-  an  h(»ur  and  a 
lialf,  and  did  not  strike  tlieir  tlai:;  until  they  liad 
destroyed  moi'e  tliaii  one-third  of  the  enemy's  foi'ce, 
one  of  their  launches  which  we"  sunk  carryiiii^  as 
many  men  as  manned  our  w  hole  mos(juito  tieet. 

I'he  Britisli,  lia\  imj;  n(»w  complete  control  of  Lake 
Horgne,  cpiickly  rend(^zvoused  their  lroo|)><  on  IVji 
Island,  off  the  month  of  Pearl  Kixci',  wli<'i'<'  some 
thirty  oi'  forty  Spanish  lishermen  ai<led  tlieir  <lis- 
end>aikation,  and,  heinii;  (piit<'  as  i-eady  to  sell  their 
country  as  their  fish,  acte(l  as  sj»ies  to  ^ixc  the  tMiemy 
informatitm  and  as  <^ni<les  to  lead  them  throuiih  the 
diHicult  inlets,  Jackson  had  ali'eady  j)rocIaimed 
martial  law;  and  had  occupi«'d  with  men,  batteries 
and  redoulits  nearly  every  assaila))le  point  of  which 
the  enemy  <'onld  mak<'  choice.  Tliouuh  the  danii:er 
was  now  so  inuiiinent.  the  intensest  enthusiasm  pre- 
vailed, military  airs  r<'soun<led  in  the  streets,  every- 
where the  din  of  pi-eparation  was  heard,  troc^ps  and 
citizens  were  eaij^er  for  the  fray,  and  the  onuiipresent 
leader  directed  every  department  of  this  n<»w  \ast 
camp. 

By  some  straiiije  oversif]i;lit,  no  special  attention 


MA.IOK    A.    I.ACAIMMHKK    LATOl'U. 


:\]-A 


11   \)\v- 
'vcrv- 


aiKl 


rest' 


lit 
ast 


'iition 


liad  IxM'ii  |»ai<l  to  (>l)striictiiiLi'  tin-  liaynii  IVicnvcniK*, 
('iii|»tviiiU'  into  (lie  head  (tf  Lake  IJoPLiiic,  distant,  in 
a  (liicci  iiiM',  only  six  miles  from  the  Mississipjti,  or 
al»onl  <|()Ml)le  that  distance  followinir  tlie  sinuosities 
<»r  the  water  ah»nu'  IJienvenue,  Mazant,  and  th(^ 
X'iUerie  (anal.  ( >n  the  '2^H\\  of  I  )ecenil>ei',  a  <lis- 
uiiised  Hi'itisli  oiricei',  i^uided  \>\  thr<'e  of  the  Spanish 
scoundrels  IVoni  the  lishei-nien's  \  illai;'e,  e.\|iloi"ed  this 
route,  w  liicli,  on  his  report,  it  was  decided  to  a(h>pt, 
not  only  liecause  it  was  short  and  practical)le,  hut  h'd 
to  within  nine  miles  of  tlie  city. 

<  >n  the  niornlnL;- oi"  Decemltei-  2."»(l,  about  L',4(M) 
British,  after  ca|tturinu'  the  few  pickets  u-uardinu' this 
conununication,  ieache<l  the  Mississippi  Itej'oi'e  noon 
without  ol»sei-\  alioii  or  o|»position.  'I'liis  was  a 
brilliant  achievement,  and  had  the  British  (Jeneral's 
sul)se(|uent  o])erations  Ihmmi  conducted  witli  like  s|)irit 
and  judn'ineiit,  Louisiana  mi^'ht  have  fallen,  notw'ith- 
standiuii'  the  most  sti'enuous  efforts  of  hersturdy  de- 
tVndei's  — then  less  than  r),(HMi  men,  mostly  militia. 
I^'roni  this  jioint  which  theVneniy  had  so  successfully 
readied,  neither  ti'oops  nor  obstacles  j>re\«*nted  the 
l)i'itisli  adxance,  in  a  b'W  hours'  march,  <»\'er  a  h'vel 
road  aloiiL^  the  le\ ce  ;  but  the  enemy  left  unL^athere<l 
the  fruits  of  his  own  enteiprise.  Stweral  of  the  most 
sai^'acioiis  oflicers  of  this  Britisli  force  appreciated 
the  ad\antaii'(^  of  a  c(>ii/>-f/r-/i/tf/'/i,  but  more  cautious 
counsels  pi'e\ailei|  and  the  u'olden  o[)portunity  was 
lost,  ne\'er  to  return. 

Jackson  received  rei'tain  intelli<j:enc«',  through 
Major  liatt)ur  who  ha<l  recoiiiioitereil  tlu^  enemy,  of 
this  threatening  iiio\<'ment,  in  less  than   two  hours 


I' 


ilii 


314 


LOnsiANA    CAM  PA  ION    OF    1814-15. 


after  its  accomplislimeiit.  His  troojis  wei'e  tlieii 
scattered  to  guard  the  \ari(>iis  ai)i)roa('lies  to  tlie  city, 
and  he  dared  not  concentrate  tliein  all  <n»  the  ene- 
my, who  might  be  only  attempting  by  a  feint,  to  open 
other  avenues  to  liis  direct  march,  paiticularly  by  the 
(rentilly  road,  wliere  tlie  general  had  reasonably 
expected  tlie  enemy  would  a])proach,  IIa[)[)ily  for 
himself  and  for  his  country,  Jackson,  with  his  char- 
acteristic vigor  and  valor,  resolved  instantly  to  assail 
the  enemy.  "The  British  are  below,"  said  he,  "we 
must  fight  them  to-night."  After  protecting  the 
Gentilly  road,  all  the  force  he  could  prudently  with- 
draw from  exposed  points  was  about  1,800  men,  of 
which  less  than  half  were  new  regulars,  and  the 
remainder  raw  militia  who  had  never  battled  with 
a  civilized  foe.  This  small,  inexperienced  force  was 
now  to  measure  swords,  at  the  (^)uatre-Hras  of 
another  AVaterloo,  with  greater  numbers  of  the  ene- 
my, soon  after  swelled  to  4,500  veteran  troo])s  which 
had  won  their  distinction  on  the  bloody  fields  of 
S})ain  and  Portugal. 

Among  the  many  versions  of  this  vital  action,  we 
much  prefer  the  brief  and  spirited  account  given  by 
General  Jackson  in  his  own  official  despatch,  of 
Dec.  27,  1814,  to  the  AVar  Department,  in  which 
he  savs  :  "  General  Coft'ee  was  oi'dered  to  turn  the 
enemy's  right,  while  with  the  residue  of  the  force 
I  attacked  his  strongest  ])osition  on  the  left,  near 
the  river.  Commodore  Patterson  having  drop})ed 
d(nvn  the  river  in  the  schooner  Carolina,  was  directed 
to  open  a  fire  upon  their  cam[>,  which  he  executed 
at  about  half  after  seven.     This  beiim-  the  signal 


-:£* 


MA.fOK    A.   LAOAKHIKHK    LATOIfJ. 


815 


then 
city, 
»,  ene- 
open 
►V  the 
niibly 

y  ^'*>'" 
I  ohar- 

jisssiil 

',  "  we 

\<r  the 

f  witli- 

iien,  of 

11(1   the 

I   witli 

•oe  was 

5ras    of 

lie  ene- 

which 

'Ids  of 

ion,  we 
IV en  l)y 
Itch,   of 


w 
Urn 


hich 
the 


He 


force 


Ift,  near 


llropi 


»e(\ 


llireeted 
uted 


Ixec 


^liiiui 


of  attack,  (lenei-al  ('otVet'''s  men,  with  their  nsiial 
irnpetuosity,  rnshed  on  tlie  enemy's  riiz;ht,  and  entered 
tlieir  cam|>,  while  our  right  advanced  with  e([ual 
ardor,  'I'here  can  he  but  little  douljt  that  we 
should  have  succeeded  on  that  occasion,  with  our 
infei'ior  force,  in  destroying  or  captui'ing  the  enemy, 
had  not  a  thick  fog,  which  arose  alH)Ut  eight  o'ch>ck, 
occasioned  some  confusion  among  the  <liiferent  cor[)s. 
Fearing  the  conse(|uences  under  this  circumstance, 
of  the  further  prosecution  of  a  night  attack  with 
troops  then  acting  together  for  the  first  time,  I  con- 
tented myself  with  lying  on  the  field  that  night." 
In  concluding  this  despatch,  after  com[)limenting 
the  mei'itorious  commanders  of  troops,  he  says  of 
his  Chief  Kngineer  •  "  Major  Latour,  having  no  com- 
mand, volunteered  his  sei'vices,  and  was  (►f  gi'eat 
assistance  to  me."  Our  killed,  wounded  and  })ris. 
oners  in  this  engagement  were  218;  while  the  ene- 
my lost  about  double  that  nund^er.  The  British 
commander,  General  Keane,  in  his  official  report, 
says:  "A  more  extraordinary  conflict  has  perhaps 
never  occni-red ;  absolutely  hand  to  hand,  both  offi- 
cers and  men." 

New^  Orleans  being  now  open  to  attack,  at  any 
moment,  by  forces  superior  both  in  numbers  and 
discipline,  Jackson,  though  he  had  produced  a  great 
moral  effect  u])on  the  enemy,  sensibly  felt  the  neces- 
sity of  immediately  intrencliing  his  foi'ces,  and  not 
putting  evei'ything  to  hazard  by  a  field-fight  with  a 
veteran  army.  Accordingly,  at  dawn  of  the  24th, 
he  took  u])  a  position,  two  miles  above,  behind  Rod- 
riguez Canal,  where   the  I'iver  and  swamp  were  but 


'tfTT 


.Slfi 


Lorrsr.wA  campatox  of  isit  ii. 


a  short  diHtjiiice  iijt.irt,  whiN*  soiin-  c.'ivuln  ;iii<i  r«'L;ii- 
Inr  infjintry  obsri'vcd  tluMMiciny's  moveiiuMits.  Major 
Latoiir  cut  tlie  Mississij)[)i  levees  to  t1oo<l  the  uji-ouikI 
b(U\veeiithe  l)elliLrei'ents  and  prevent  tlie  enemy's  ad- 
vance ;  but  the  expedient  was  of  litth^  vahie,  as  the 
swell  in  the  river  hovu  subsided,  leaving  the  left 
bank  drv. 

« 

Wiiile  our  army,  day  and  night,  was  piling  u[) 
eartli  and  bales  of  cotton  to  form  the  intrenchment, 
exten<ling  from  the  rivei-  deep  into  the  morass, 
Latour  was  called  to  strengthen  tlie  j)osition  at  the 
contluence  of  Hayou  Sauvage  and  Chef  Menteur, 
an  nnfoundc'l  rumor  liaving  been  spread  that  tlie 
eueniv  was  niovinu:  on  our  rear  b\  the  (Jentillv  road. 
Fortunately,  during  four  precious  days,  the  demoral- 
ized British  moved  neither  to  the  front  noi'  rear. 
They  did  little  else  than  rejoice,  on  CMiristmas,  over 
the  arrival  of  General  l^ickingham,  the  "Jh'ro  of 
Salamanca,''  and  briug  from  the  fleet  some  heavy 
artillery,  j)lace(l  in  batteiy  oii  the  L^Tth,  with  \vhich 
they  set  tire  to,  and  blew  u[)  our  sejiooner  Cai'oline. 
AVhile  these  things  wvi-e  transpiring  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  Colonel  Alorgan  was  ordered  to 
abandon  his  position  at  the  "English  Turn,"  leave 
his  artillerv  and  a  small  o'lin-ison  at  Fort  St.  Leon, 
and,  with  the  remaining  forces,  occupy  a  [)osition 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  rivci',  opposite  Camp 
Jackson. 

Packingham,  the  new  connnander-in-chief,  with 
an  army  of  8,000  excellent  troo])s,  was  determined  to 
drive  Jackson  l)efore  him  and  carry  his  intrench- 
ments  by  storm.      On  the  evening  of  the  2Tth,  the 


T 


MA.IOIl    A.   LACAIMMKIIK    LATcH'l}. 


an 


1: 


enemy  advanced,  drove  in  <>nr  pickets  and  oiit-jjosts, 
reconnoitred  otii-  position,  ludted  l)ct'ore  dark  uitliin 
a  few  liiindred  yards  of  our  line,  and  ]mssed  tlie 
niji'lit  in  buildinu'  hattei-ies  for  tlie  morrow  under  a 
eontinuecl  (Iroppini^  Hre  of  our  liu'lit  tro()j)s.  Jack- 
son, durinii;  tliis  loui^  winter  night,  was  not  idle. 
(Heariiii:;  liis  front  of  all  ohstacles  to  give  full  play  t«) 
liis  twentv  i-'uns,  Ids  4, odd  infantrv,  and  to  the  tiank- 
ing  fire  of  the  schoonei"  Louisiana  in  the  rivei-,  he  was 
ready,  at  day1)reak  of  the  L*Stli,  to  give  a  warm  wel- 
come to  the  enemy  advancing  in  tno  colunuis. 
That  on  the  right,  under  (teneral  (libln,  moved 
along  the  woody  margin  of  the  cy[»ress  swamji ; 
while  that  on  tlie  left,  under  (ieneral  Keene,  followed 
tlie  public  road  neai"  tlie  river's  ])unk — each  ])re- 
ceeded  by  skirmishers  in  open  order,  forming  nearly 
a  continuous  line  from  the  river  ([uite  into  the  morass 
with  a  view  of  turning  our  left.  ( )nward  tliis  impos- 
ing array,  dischai'ging  showers  of  rockets,  ])rocee( led 
to  witliin  close  view  of  our  intrenched  line,  from 
which  poured  forth  a  death-dealing  fire  of  artillery 
and  musketi'v,  crossed  by  more  than  800  shots  from 
the  Louisiana.  From  this  terri])le  storm,  Packing- 
ham  recoiled,  Avithdrew  his  assailants  to  wherever 
they  could  Hud  sheltei-,  and,  after  a  vain  effort  to 
turn  oui-  left,  resolved,  on  the  advice  of  a  council  of 
Avar,  to  adopt  a  more  cautious  [)()licy.  Accordingly, 
he  brouii-ht  forward  heavy  sieu'e-ujuns  from  the  ships 
l)efore  attempting  anothei'  sei'ious  attack  upon  Jack- 
son, who  was  not  to  be  seduced  into  fighting  with 
liis  raw  militia  in  the  open  field  ;  nin*  to  be  terrified 
into  submission  by  showers  of  shells  and  rockets 


ii 


^1 


ai8 


LOriSIAXA    CAMl'Ar':N    OF    1814  15, 


which  (lid  nodaiiiuge  to  liis  works  and  little  to  their 
defenders,  sixteen  killed  and  wounded  being  our 
total  loss  in  the  late  assault. 

Paekinghani  was  in  great  per2)lexity  ;  to  advance 
on  a  narrow  front,  barred  by  a  strong  intrenched 
line,  was  to  lead  his  troops  to  almost  certain  slaugh- 
ter, and  foi"  his  renowned  veterans  to  retire,  before 
raw  militia,  was  degrading.  As  the  only  alternative, 
he  determined  to  treat  our  slio-ht  field-works  like 
strong  S[)anish  fortifications.  Accordingly,  by  the 
night  of  the  JHst,  heavy  guns  were  established  in 
three  batteries  at  600  yards  from  the  American  line, 
ammunition  accumulated,  and,  throughout  the  night, 
Sir  John  Burgoyne,  the  British  Chief  Engineer,  was 
busy  with  spade  and  shovel.  Meantime  our  line  had 
been  strengthened  and  new  artillery  added  :  while, 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  Major  Latour, 
to  provide  against  contingencies,  had  thrown  up  a 
strong  bastioned  intrenchment  l)ehind  Boisgervais' 
Canal,  and  formed  from  a  brick-kiln  a  heavy 
redoubt,  opi)osite  New  Orleans. 

The  hours  of  the  closiiiijr  vear  "  i2:ave  dreadful 
note  of  [)reparation  "  ;  but  Jackson,  "  thawing  cold 
fear,"  determined  to  make  New  Vear  a  like  unha[t[»y 
holiday  as  Christmas  had  been  to  the  British  army. 
The  misty  dawn  of  January  1,  1815,  concealed  the 
workmen  coin))leting  the  enemy's  )»atteries,  and  the 
formation,  several  lines  deej),  of  his  troops  for 
assaiiltino:  the  breaches  so  soon  as  made.  About 
8  A.  M.,  the  fog  lifted,  when  the  cannonade,  with 
every  advantage  to  the  enemy,  became  active  and 
general,  continuing  for  two  hours  with   great  vigor 


MA.TOi;    A,   LACAUHIEUK    LATOTJU. 


819 


the 
(I  the 

for 
Jumt 
with 

uiul 
vigor 


iiiul  precision.  The  contlic't  was  now  terrihle,  but 
tlie  ascendency  of  our  return  tire  was  evident,  dis- 
mounting: the  enemy's  artillery,  killinji:  and  disabling:: 
tlieir  gunners,  and  almost  demolishing  their  batteries, 
which  were  nearly  silenced  at  mid-(Lay.  General 
Coffee  liad,  at  the  same  time,  frusti-ated  tlie  enemy'."^ 
effort  to  turn  our  left,  Before  8  i>.  m,  the  Britisli 
army,  confident  in  the  morning  of  entering  Xe^v 
Orleans  before  night,  tied  in  hot  haste  to  the  ditches, 
sought  shelter  whei'ever  it  was  to  be  found,  and, 
under  coyer  of  the  coming  darkness,  crawled  back  to 
their  cainj),  leaying  tiye  pieces  of  artillery  a  spoil  for 
the  Americans. 

Wellington's  heroes,  ^vho  liad  trod  the  path  of 
victoi'y  from  Lisbon  to  Toulouse,  and  liad  success- 
fully stormed  Spain's  strongest  fortresses,  had,  by 
raw  troops,  a  second  time,  been  "  not  only  batlied  and 
disaj)p()inted,  but  disheartened  and  discontented;" 
and  soon  were  destined  to  learn  a  third  appalling 
lesson,  not  dreamt  of  in  their  })liiloso])hy  of  war — 
that  freemen,  fighting  for  tlieir  tire-sides,  were  not  to 
be  subdued  even  by  the  compierors  of  Euro])e. 

Before  ))roceeding  to  describe  the  memoralde 
events  of  the  ever  glorious  8th  of  January,  1815, 
reflectiiiii;  the  liiuhest  renown  on  Ainerican  arms,  we 
must  give  a  brief  descrij)tion  of  the  defenses  which 
were  thrown  uj),  under  the  general  direction  of  Major 
Latoui',  in  the  two  weeks  of  coid,  wet  weather,  pre- 
ceediiiii;  the  decisive  battle  for  the  salvation  of  New 
Orleans. 

Behind  the  levees  to  prevent  the  Mississip}))  from 
overHowing  its  banks,  were   narrow  strips  of  dry 


i:    i 


320 


LOUISIANA    CAMl'AIGX    OF    ISU  lo. 


land,  bordered  by  dense  cypress  swamps.  Tlie  river 
beiiisj;  ordinai'ilv  liiu'lier  tlian  the  niarslies,  c;:nals,  in 
many  ]>laees,  were  cut  to  utilize  the  power  of  *"  >e 
water,  deseendini;'  throuiifh  tlieni,  to  turn  mill-wh'  I  . 
at  their  heads,  'J'he  mode  of  defense  therefore,  was 
obvious  and  sim])le,  that  of  obstructing  the  sti'i]>  of 
dry  land,  on  either  bank  of  the  river,  with  transverse 
barriers  behind  the  mill-races.  Such  was  the  famous 
Jackson  intrenchment  on  the  h'ft  bank,  five  miles 
below  New  ( )rleans,  on  the  north  side  of  the  old 
Rodriguez  canal,  or  mill-race,  which  formed  itsshallow 
wet  ditch  in  front.  At  this  narrowest  part  of  the 
di'v  land,  the  intrenched  barrier  was  about  a  mile 
long,  more  than  "  half  of  which  ran  from  the  river 
to  the  wood,  the  remainchir  extending  into  the  de])th, 
where  the  line  took  a  direction  towards  the  left, 
which  rested  on  acy])ress  swamp  almost  impassable.'' 
The  troo])s,  citizens  and  slaves,  of  all  classes  and  con- 
ditions, wei-e  indefatigable  at  their  labors,  and  their 
works,  stivnu'thened  from  dav  to  dav,  soon  inspired 
contidence.  The  line,  nearly  straight,  except  a  short 
indentation  near  the  woods,  necessitated  by  some 
deej)  holes,  was  vei'v  rudely  formed,  of  \  ai'iable 
height  and  thickness,  and  constructed  of  e\  ery 
species  of  material  at  hand  ;  cotton  bales  being  used 
near  the  rivei-;  fence-rails  serving  to  revet  portions 
of  the  jtai'apet  :  and,  within  the  swani]),  whei'e  ex- 
posed only  to  nuisketry  tii'e,  it    was  formed   of  logs, 


ten  feet  apart,  laid  over 


th 


eacii    oriiei'   an< 


(I    til 


n 


)ace 


between  tilled  with  eai'th.      ( )n  the  south  side(»f  the 
canal,  close  t(t  the  rivei',  was  a  small  redoubt  servinir 


th 


to  sweep  tlie  road  on  the  I'lver   bain<,   and   en 


ifilade 


MAJOII    A.   LA(  AintlEUE    LATOUR. 


321 


I'lver 
Is,  ill 

I:-  :. 

,  \vas 
ij)  of 

verse 

lUOUS 

miles 
e  old 
allow 
)f  tlie 
I  mile 
river 
ileptli, 
e  left, 
•sable." 
(1  eoii- 
their 
j)ire«l 
sliort 
some 
riable 
every 
used 
rtioiis 
re  ex- 
loL!;s, 
space 
.f  the 
erviiig 
nil  lade 


the  front  of  the  iiitreiieliiiieut.  l^ehiiid  the  ])arapet 
were  eiglit  batteries,  judieioiisly  ])laee(l,  luouiitiiig 
tliirteeii  ])ieees  of  artillery,  fi  to  H2-j)ounders.  Acoss 
the  river  was  I*atterson's  marine  hatteiy,  of  nine  guns, 
commanding  the  plain  of  Clialmette,  aided  by  the 
fire  of  the  sehooner  Louisiana,  The  infantry  behind 
Jackson's  line  nnmbered  8,'2(M)  men,  of  whom  only 
8(M>  were  newly-recrnited  regulars.  General  Coffee's 
500  men,  holding  the  extreme  left  of  the  line,  were 
coni[)elled  to  stand  knee-deep  in  the  mud  and  water 
of  the  swamp,  and  ))ivouac  on  tloatiiig  logs  lashed  to 
the  trees. 

Two  miles  highei"  up  the  I'iver,  the  weaker,  un- 
armed men,  with,  their  oidy  weapons,  picks  and 
shcwels,  lield  a  second  line  servinjj:  as  a  rallvins: 
position  ill  the  event  of  disaster;  and  still  a  third 
line  was  established  just  below  the  city  limits. 
Jackson's  entire  force,  armed  and  unarmed,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  was  4,204,  as  stated  by  Gen- 
eral Cass,  when  he  was  Secretarv  of  War  in  Presi- 
dent  Jackson's  cabinet. 

The  defenses  on  the  right  l)ank  of  the  ]Missis- 
si[)pi,  where  the  strij)  of  dry  land,  between  the  river 
and  swamp,  vai'ied  in  width  fi'om  one  to  two  thous- 
and yards,  consisted  of  four  transverse  earthen  lines, 
two  of  which  wei'e  lower  down  the  river  than  Jack- 
son's main  line,  the  third  about  abreast  of  it,  and 
the  fourth  a  mile  and  a  half  still  higher  u[)  the 
stream.  The  lonust^  at  Kaguet's  old  canal,  extended 
but  'JOO  yards  from  the  river,  the  remaining  dis- 
tance to  the  swamp,  some  1,800  yards,  presenting  no 
other  obstacle  than  the  ditch.     The  sccoikI,  a  convex 


Iff 


322 


LOnSIANA    CAMPAIGN    OK    1814-15. 


bastioiied  line,  lialf  a  mile  in  rear  of  the  first,  was 
at  tlie  narrowest  and  strongest  position  on  the  right 
bank;  but,  after  Major  Latour  had  marked  it  out 
and  commenced  throwing  it  up,  his  orders,  unfortu- 
nately, were  countei'inanded  by  superior  authority. 
Tlie     third    line — Jourdan's — important    as    being 


abreast  of  Jackson's  on  the  left  bank,  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  been  more  tinui  laid  out.  '^\\q  fourth^ 
beliind  Boisgerv^ais'  canal,  three  miles  ])elow  New 
Orleans,  designed  to  be  secured  with  })astions  and 
redoubts,  was  incomplete.  These  right  Ijank  lines 
under   connnand  of    General  Moruan,  were  feebly 


MAJOR    A.  LACARRIKUK    LATOT'Il. 


323 


was 
•iglit 
out 
ortn- 
)rity. 


IUILlA  rr^ 


)t    a|>- 

New 

lis  and 

lilies 

1  feebly 


manned  with  a1)()ut  800  raw  and  badly  armed  militia, 
some  of  whom,  without  food,  had  marched  live 
miles  through  deep  mud  just  before  going  into 
action. 

Under  cover  of  the  night  of  January  7th,  Packing- 
ham  resolved  to  send  1,500  infantry,  with  artillery, 
to  attack  and  carry  Morgan's  }>osition,  and  from  bat- 
teries there  enfilade  Jackson's  intrenchment,  while 
the  mass  of  his  army,  on  the  left  ])ank,  should  storm 
it  in  front.  These  assailants,  instead  of  arriving  on 
the  west  l)ank  fresh  for  their  dithcult  task  had  been 
much  exhausted  In  previous  labor  in  deepening, 
widening  and  })rolonging  Villerie's  canal  tlirough 
which  to  })ass  their  l)oats,  instead  of  transporting 
them  over  the  narrow  neck  of  land  by  means  of 
rollers  as  tliey  before  had  moved  their  heavy  artillery. 

Packingham's  plan  was  simple,  tliougli  he  com- 
mitted the  great  error  of  making  his  princi[)al  attack 
on  the  left  bank,  whei'e  flackson  was  much  the 
strongest  lu  pr/:s()iui(/  iind  material  defenses.  Before 
dawn  of  the  Sth,  the  assault  on  the  I'ight  bank  was 
to  be  made  with  vigor  by  Colonel  Thornton  then  in 
command,  the  sound  of  whose  guns  was  to  be  the 
signal  for  (leneral  (ilbbs'  column,  i)rovided  with 
susar-cane  fascines  to  till  the  ditch  and  scalinsj:  lad- 
ders  to  mount  the  })ara})et,  to  storm  Jackson's  left, 
while  (leneral  Keane's  column  was  to  threaten  the 
riji-ht. 

<  )n  the  afternoon  of  the  7th,  Jackson  became 
satistied  that  the  ^^ei**;ht  of  the  enemy  would  fall 
upon  the  tr(M>ps  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  The 
enemy's  pieparations  were  everywhere  visible,  and, 


I 


7 


324 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAIGN    OF    1814-15. 


i  i,.. 


shortly  after  niglit-fall,  the  sound  of  pick  and  shovel 
could  be  heard  reconsti'uctino;  their  destroyed  batter- 
ies ;  while  theii-  pickets  were  increased  to  screen 
these  and  other  operations.  In  our  cam])  all  was 
composiu'e,  half  of  tlie  ti'oops  alternating  with  the 
other  lialf  on  duty  behind  the  intrenchiuents ;  while 
the  whole  anxiously  awaited  at  dawn  of  the  calm, 
cold  and  lowerinc:  inorninij:  of  the  8th,  for  the  com- 
ing  of  the  foe  just  re-enforced  to  l(),()0()  strong. 
Jackson  was  roused  from  his  (piiet  slumber,  soon 
after  midnight,  l)y  a  call  for  more  t!'ooj)s  to  defend 
the  rio-ht  bank.  "Hurry  back,"  said  he  to  the  mes- 
seno;er,  "and  tell  General  Mori»:an  he  must  maintain 
his  })osition  at  all  hazards,  while  we  resist  the  main 
attack  which  will  be  made  here."  However,  he 
ordered  500  Kentuckians  to  cross  the  river,  while 
he,  with  his  staff,  went  to  his  lines  to  be  ready  to 
ward  oif  the  swift  coming  tempest  lowering  on  his 
front. 

Thornton,  who  was  to  open  the  Ijattle  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Mississi])])i,  was  delayed  by  the 
caving-in  of  the  banks  of  the  \'illerie  canal,  wliicli 
impeded  the  ]>assage  of  the  boats.  At  last,  embark- 
ing Avith  half  his  force,  he  was  swept  down  ])y  the 
current  of  the  Mississippi  a  mile  and  a  half  below 
the  intended  point  of  debarkation;  hence  before  all 
had  left  their  boats,  the  day  had  (hiwned,  and 
"  battle's  magnificently-stern  array  "  was  already  en- 
irasred  on  the  fatal  field  of  Chalmette. 

Packinghani,  jiftei'  a  sleepless  night,  had  ad- 
vanced GiblW  and  Keane's  assaulting  columns  to 
within  450  yards  of  Jackson's  entrenchment,  Lam- 


MAJOR  A.  LArARKIKHE  LATOUR. 


825 


l)ei't\s(livisi()ul)eiiii^  left  in  reserve.  In  the  misty  dawn 
lie  was  anxiously  awaiting  Tlioniton's  siirnal-u^uns 
to  beiiin  liis  i)ai't  in  the  day's  dianni.  Already  our 
retii'ing  out-posts  had  ap[)rised  Jackson  of  his 
(h'lnger,  wlien  suchlenly,  as  tlie  fog  lifted,  tlie  red 
line  of  Britisli  was  disclosed  to  our  tro(>ps  and 
Lieutenant  Spotts,  from  battery  six,  opened  fire 
iil)on  it.  Instantly  a  signal  rocket  went  u])  on  the 
Bi'itisli  I'iglit,  and  another  on  the  left.  With  three 
cheers  and  under  a  cloud  of  Congreve  rockets,  with 
steady  and  measured  tread,  suppoi'ted  by  the  fire  of 
their  batteries,  on  came  that  brave  British  infantry, 
which  had  so  often  faced  death.  Gib]>s'  close  col- 
nnui,  sixty  files  front,  jn'otected  by  the  projecting 
woods,  advanced  to  within  200  yards  t)f  our  intrench- 
ment,  when  it  became  exposed  to  the  fury  of  bat- 
teries six,  seven  and  eight,  and  the  terrible  volliesof 
our  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  marksmen,  in  four 
ranks,  alternating  their  fire.  For  some  time  the 
Hritish  officers  stimulated  the  coura2:e  of  their 
troo[>s  to  move  obli<piely  on  battery  seven,  oj)ening 
wide  gaps  through  the  colunui,  which  were  instantly 
filled  with  fresh  troops,  to  share  in  turn  a  like  fate. 
For  twenty-five  minutes  these  British  veterans  en- 
dured this  lead  and  iron  rain,  some  of  the  boldest 
with  matchless  courage  reaching  the  brink  of  the 
canal ;  but,  without  fascines  or  the  ladders  which  had 
been  left  behind,  human  power  had  reached  its  limit, 
and  the  whole  column,  broken,  dispersed  and  dis- 
heartened, retreated  in  the  utmost  confusion  to  the 
shelter  of  the  bushes  and  the  ditch,  400  hundred 
yards   in  rear.     Here    depositing  their   knap-sacks, 


f  SI 


326 


LOUISIAXA    CA:MPAIGX    of    181t-16. 


■■■I 


I 


V  i1 


they  were  i-allied,  recruitt'd   with   i'lvsh   troops,  and 
again  formed  foi*  the  eoiiHict ;  but  all  in  vain,  for  a 


column  of  Sjiartans  could  not  Avithstand  that  Ameri- 
can rolling  fire  of   musketry  and  artillery  pouring 


MA.TOR    A.   LACARRIERE    LATOI'R. 


82' 


I 


.s 


[meri- 


forth  its  inessen2;ers  of  deatli.  Packiiii^liain  had 
fallen  a  victim  to  liis  own  intrepidity,  and  (iil)l)s,  tlie 
))rave  leader  of  tlie  eolunin,  liad  ])een  wcninded  ; 
yet  the  surviving  officers  essayed  to  make  the  troops 
form  a  third  time;  but  notliinii:  could  move  them 
from  the  ditcli  in  rear,  wliere  tliey  passed  the  remain- 
der of  the  day. 

Some  of  tlie  enemy's  troops  made  a  false  attack 
throu«i:h  tlie  woods  to  ascertain  the  feasibility  of 
turniiii;  our  extreme  left  in  the  swamp,  but  General 
Coffee's  brisk  fire  soon  made  them  letire. 

Keane's  colunni,  ra])idly  moving,  soon  after 
(xibbs',  along  the  river  bank,  followed  our  retreating 
out-])ost8  so  closely  that  its  advance  reached  the 
unfinished  redoul)t  in  front  of  our  extreme  right, 
and  through  its  embrasures  got  possession  ;  but 
its  stay  was  of  short  (Ur'atioii  under  the  front  fire 
of  onv  artillery  and  of  the  seventh  regular  infantry, 
assisted  ])y  Patterson's  flanking  fire  of  the  marine 
battery  on  the  oj)posite  shore.  Like  the  column  on 
the  rioht,  it  was  obliired  to  retire  in  disorder,  leavinir 
the  road,  levee  and  river  bank  strewed  with  its  dead 
and  Avounded,  among  the  latter  being  the  gallant 
leader  of  that  forlorn  lio])e.  Our  artillery  was  now 
turned  u])on  the  enemy's  batteries  on  the  river  bank, 
which,  in  two  hours,  became  untenable. 

General  Laml)ert,  now  the  senior  in  command, 
on  hearing  of  the  British  disaster,  came  forward 
with  his  reserves  ;  but  unal)le  to  retrieve  the  for- 
tunes of  the  day,  he  abandoned  the  Aceldama  of 
Chalmette,  literally  covered  with  theii'  dead  and 
dvino:,    and   contented    himself    with    coverinii:   the 


■:  • 


1 


I 


i      l 


328 


l.oriSI.WA    (  A.MI'AKiX    OI'    iSlt   15. 


ivtrent  of  the  iiintihit(Ml  mikI  flyiiii;-  wreck  of  that 
valiant  ai'iiiy,  a  few  hoiiis  het'ore  so  full  of  liope, 
pi'lde  and  eontidenee. 

"Ah  soon  as  the  wrecks  of  the  lii-itish  column 
liad  disa|)j)eared,"  says  Alajoi'  Latour  in  his  Ilistoi'i- 
oal  Memoir  of  (he  ('am})aiu'n,  "  the  tire  of  our  nuis- 
ketrv  ceased,  and  oui-  artillei-y  nnly  lli-etl  at  intervals 
at  tlie  enemy's  batteries,  oi'  at  scattered  [>latoons 
that  were  perceived  in  the  wood.  At  tliis  time, 
men  from  all  our  dItfertMit  corj)s,  pi-ompted  merelv 
by  sentiments  of  humanit\',  went,  of  their  own 
accord,  to  assist  the  wounded  liritish,  to  uixc  them 
drink,  and  carry  them  (as  they  did  several  on  their 
backs)  within  our  lines.  All  our  troops  unani- 
mously a])plauded  the  humane  sentiments  of  these 
brave  men,  whose  dauntless  hearts  were  urieved  to 
])ehold  the  slauu'hter  of  the  day,  and  in  theii- 
wounded  enem\'  sa\v  but  their  sufferinu,'  fellow^ 
creature. 

"But,  withhoiTor  I  record  the  atrocity!  while 
they  were  in  the  verv  act  of  administeriui::  consola- 
tion — while  they  were  carrying  tlie  wounded  British 
— tlie  troops  tliat  were  in  the  ditch  (in  front  of  our 
lines)  tired  tm  them,  and  killetl  and  wounded  some 
men.  Yet  the  otiiers,  regardless  of  tiie  danger  to 
which  they  ex[)osed  themselves,  ])ersevered  in  their 
huidable  purpose.  This  instance  of  ])aseiiess  may 
have  proceeded  from  individuals;  nor  can  it  be  pre- 
sumed that  the  men  ^^•ere  ordered  to  fire  by  any 
ofHcer  of  rank.  Tlie  known  tenor  of  (leneral  Lam- 
bei-t's  honorable  and  soldiei'ly  conduct,  sets  tlie  com- 
mander-in-chief far  al)ove  the  suspicion  of  his  ])eing 


MA.IOK    A.  LACAURIKHK    LATOIR. 


329 


'How 


>f  our 

some 

cr  to 

tlieir 


iiiav 


pie- 
any 

iLaui- 
eom- 

Ix'iiiij; 


cnpablo  of  sucIj  atrocity.  Hut  the  otticers  wlio  com- 
iiiaii«le<l  tlie  troops  in  the  ditch,  within  musket-shot 
of  tlie  men  tired  on,  cannot  alle<2:e  tliat  they  miscon- 
ceived the  intention  of  <>ur  men,  most  of  them  beini^j 
unarmed,  and  assistin*;  tlie  woun<hMl.  Tliey  were 
Ileal'  <'nou<ili  to  see  tlieir  actions,  and  seeiuij^  these, 
(liey  could  not  possi})ly  misconceive  their  motives. 
Upon  a  full  view  of  this  fact  then,  whatever  reluc- 
taiKM'  we  may  feci,  in  brand in^ij  with  infamy  milit{iry 
men  whose  actions  should  ever  he  directed  by 
honour — men,  amonji^st  whom  there  were  perhaps  sev- 
eral who  wore  the  honorable  decorations  of  valour 
and  ij;ood  conduct,  we  cannot  forbear  to  give  them 
the  aj)j)ellati(m  of  barbarians.  The  private  soldiers 
cannot  be  reproached  with  this  atrocious  act ;  the 
the  guilt  of  it  rests  solely  with  those  who  com- 
manded them.'' 

While  the  great  battle  was  raging  on  the  plain 
of  Chalmette,  the  British  were  not  idle  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Mississipj)i,  where,  nominally,  we  had 
four  lines  of  defense  ;  but,  in  reality,  only  one — that 
behind  the  Boisgervais  canal — of  any  real  strength. 
Thornton,  the  British  commandei",  as  we  have  before 
stated,  instead  of  beginning  the  conflict,  did  not  dis- 
embark on  the  rio-ht 'bank  till  after  da vHirht  when 
Packinghani  was  fully  engaged.  To  oppose  his 
landing,  (leneral  Morgan  sent  one  hundred  ill-armed 
Louisiana  militia,  under  Major  Arnaud,  to  Morin's 
estate.  As  was  to  be  expected,  this  handful  of  un- 
disciplined men  soon  took  to  flight,  followed  by  the 
enemy's  troops  and  flanked  by  their  three  ascending 
gun-boats.      Tliey  did   not   halt   till  they  reached 


m 


t-:   1 


330 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAIGN    OF    1814  15. 


Davis'  250  wearv  nnd  poorly  arnicd  KtMitiickiuns  on 
Maliew's  plantation,  about  a  mile  in  front  of  Mori2:an 
wlio  liad  taken  position  l)eliin(l  the  weak  intrench- 
ment  at  Raguet\s  canal,  of  which  only  the  200  yards, 
next  the  ri  ,vas  built.  Arnaud's  detachment  soon 
took  to  tlu  .oods,  and  Davis,  |)ressed  in  front  and 
tlnnk,  after  tii'inu^  a  few  voUies,  fell  back  to  M()r<i;.'urs 
right,  who,  with  his  now  total  force  of  000  men  and 
three  small  [)ieces  of  artillery,  had  to  hold  a  line  over 
a  mile  long,  of  which  only  a  tenth,  adjoining  the 
river,  was  intrenched.  Of  course  he  could  not  long 
resist  the  onset  of  British  veterans  supported  l>y  the 
flank  tire  of  their  gun-boats.  Morgan's  undefended 
right  being  turned  and  his  centre  j)ierced,  he  spiked 
and  threw  into  the  river  liis  guns,  and  Hed  in  wild 
confusion  t  lie  Boisgervais  intrenchment,  when  most 
of  tlie  tro  nere  rallied  behind  this,  the  only  de- 
fensible line  on  tlie  right  l)ank.  The  Bi'itisli,  no 
longer  opposed,  pressed  forward  to  the  marine  bat- 
tery with  the  guns  of  which  Patterson  had  done  such 
terrible  execution  in  sweeping  the  ])lain  in  front  of 
Jackson's  intrenchment  on  the  left  bank.  The  Com- 
modore, virtually  powerless  without  infantry  sup- 
ports, turned  his  fire  upon  tlie  advancing  foe,  soon 
after  spiked  his  guns,  and  retreated  to  the  Louisiana 
which  he  had  pushed  into  the  stream  out  of  the 
enemy's  reach. 

General  Jackson,  learning  this  only  disaster  of 
the  campaign,  immediately  sent  over  (Tcneral  Hum- 
bert, an  exi)erienced  French  officer,  with  400  troops, 
to  rectify  affairs  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river. 
Fortunately    while    the    discussion  of   seniority    in 


MA.IOK    A.  LACAKKIKUK    LATorU. 


331 


mnk"  WMH  ,u:oing  on,  the  enemy  withdrew  und  Tlioin- 
ton  I'e-enibui'ked  liis  troops  to  join  liin  (lefeate<l 
comrades.  Tliouij^h  the  operations  on  the  riglit 
hank  were  in  striking  contrast  with  tlie  gh)rioiis 
acliievements  on  the  h*ft,  onr  h>HS  was  only  one 
killed  and  five  wounded,  while  tlie  casualties  of  tlie 
enemy  were  liiO.  On  hoth  sides  of  the  river,  on  the 
ht\\,  the  Americans  had  13  killed,  3!»  wounded  and 
19  missing — total  71  ;  while  the  enemy  lost,  exclu- 
sive ()f  the  120  on  the  right  bank,  700  killed,  1,400 
Avounded,  and  500  prisoners — in  all  2,000  men,  which 
is  probably  an  nnder  estimjite. 

It  will  naturally  be  asked,  how  an  army  com- 
posed of  the  best  veteran  troops,  accustomed  to  vic- 
tory and  to  overcome  all  obstacles,  utterly  failed  in 
a  brief  conflict  against  a  third  of  their  number  of 
raw  levies  who  never  before  ha  i  seen  a  battle-field, 
and  who,  ill-armed,  killed  and  wounded  of  their  foe 
one  hundred  times  as  many  as  they  lost?  The 
difference  was  doubtless  due  to  the  protection  of  the 
intrencliments,  behind  which  were  resolute  marks- 
men ably  conuiianded,  and  fighting  for  their  families 
and  fire-sides.  The  lilgh<ist  authorittj^  (xeneral  Jack- 
son himself,  has  said  that  not  one  British  soldier 
entered  his  works,  "except  the  wounded,  who  stag- 
gered in,  and  those  who,  in  the  extremity  of  dan- 
ger, sought  refuge  there  till  the  storm  should  pass 
away." 

For  the  creation  of  these  field-vv^orks.  much  is  due 
to  the  Chief  Engineer,  Major  Latoiir,  who,  says 
Jackson,  in  his  general  order  of  January  21,  1815, 
noticing  the  conduct  of  the  most  meritorious  of  his 


332 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAIGN    OF    1814  15. 


officers,  was  "useful  to  the  army  by  his  talents  and 
l)ravery." 

According  to  the  testimony  of  Latour's  godchild 
— -Camille  Louise  Boucher  Douvillier,  wife  of 
Autcuste  V.  Dtilche,  of  New  Orleans — the  Major  re- 
mained  some  time  after  1815  in  Louisiana,  where  he 
wrote  his  able  and  interesting  "Histoi-ical  Memoii'  of 
the  War  in  Wes'  Florida  and  Louisiana,  in  1S14-15." 
He  then  went  to  the  Island  of  Cuba,  where  he  spent 
four  years  in  Havana,  when  he  returned  to  his 
native  France,  where,  in  the  latter  part  of  lS,'i9,  he 
died  in  the  city  of  Paris.  These  meai2:re  details  of 
the  life  of  this  excellent  engineer  we  regret  are  all 
we  have  been  able  to  obtain  after  a  very  l<uig  and 
most  diligent  search,  in  which  we  have  had  the  in- 
telligent and  zealous  co-operation  of  C'olonel  Edward 
A.  Palfrey,  of  New  Orleans,  La. 

While  the  armies  wei'e  buryinjT;  their  dead  on 
the  field  of  strife,  tive  hostile  vessels,  as  a  co-operating 
force,  were  endeavoring  to  reach  New  Orleans  by 
the  Mississip[)i.  From  the  l>th  to  the  18th,  the  enemy 
threw  a  thousand  shells,  with  many  round  and  gra]»e 
shot  against  Fort  St.  Philip,  which  resulted  in  noth- 
ing more  than  killing  two  and  wounding  seven  of 
the  feeble  gai'risoii.  After  nine  days  of  fi-uitless 
effort,  the  little  British  s([uadron  witlidivw  without 
spoils  or  glory. 

Having  abandoned  all  hopes  of  coiupiering 
Louisiana,  the  enemy,  after  a  general  exchange  of 
prisoners,  without  loss,  withdrew  from  his  perilous 
position;  and,  on  the  Dth  of  Februaiv,  })roceeded  i  > 
besiege   Fort    Bowyer,    wliich    the    gallant    Major 


MAJOR    A.   LACARRIEKE    LATOT'R 


333 


Liiwrence  was  obliired  to  siin'eiider  on  tlie  12tli  to  a 
greatly  sii])erioi'  force. 

Tlie  news  of  peace  with  Great  Britain  arrived 
amid  our  exultant  rejoicings  over  the  great  triumph 
of  New  (Orleans,  and  while  Congress  and  the  whole 
nation  were  pavinij;  liomao:e  to  tlie  heroic  Jackson  and 
his  brave  army,  which,  in  less  than  a  month,  had  ter- 
minated the  Louisiana  campaign,  ever  memorable  in 
the  annals  of  America ;  and,  in  a  few  hours,  had 
van(juished  a  powerful  foe  on  the  field  of  Chalmette, 
washed  by  the  mighty  Mississippi,  Monarch  of 
Waters,  and  bordered  by  morasses  where,  in  wild 
luxuriance,  grew  the  laurel  of  the  victor  and  the 
cypress  of  the  van(piished. 

Though  this  brief  cam])aign  was  so  ably  and  ener- 
getically conducted,  and  ended  the  war  with  (jreat 
Britain  in  a  ])laze  of  glory,  it  had  its  blemishes, 
which  military  criticism  must  not  conceal. 

l^lrd:  Though  the  defense  of  Fort  Bowyer  ended 
September  lath,  in  the  complete  defeat  of  the  British 
naval  and  land  forces,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the 
withdrawal  of  its  gallant  coninumder  and  garrison 
from  the  subsecpient  Louisiana  operations,  was 
compensated  by  the  short  retention  of  a  feeble 
fort,  without  any  after  influences  on  the  campaign 
till  its  final  ••jij)itulation,  February  12th,  an  event 
so  humiliatini>'  amid  our  rejoicinii's  and  so  consol- 
ingto  the  enemy  after  his  great  catastro[)he  at  New 
Orleans. 

/Second :  The  seizure  of  Pensacola,  November  7tli, 
though  <lis])laying  great  energy,  indomitable  will, 
and  reasonable  retaliation  for  past  wrongs,  hardly 


if 


i'ii'''::  4 


834 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAIGN    OF    1814-15. 


justified  tlie  loss  of  precious  time  and  forces  for  the 
capture  of  some  worthless  forts,  the  dispersion  of 
Nicholl's  small  body  of  Neg^ro  and  Indian  allies,  and 
the  driving  away  of  the  British  ships  to  some  other 
ecpially  good  harbor ;  while  these  acts  violated  in- 
ternational law,  and  Jeopardized  our  relations  with 
Spain  with  which  we  could  not  then  afford  to  go  to 
war. 

Thii'd:  The  capture  of  our  Gun-Boats,  Decem- 
ber 1 4th,  by  nine  times  their  number  of  large,  well- 
appointetl  and  formidably  armed  British  barges,  was 
inevitable;  and  conclusively  proved  the  neglect  of 
the  government  in  providing  only  such  inade([uate 
naval  appliances  for  the  defense  of  New  Orleans, 
open  on  every  side  to  approach  by  water.  But, 
whether  these  few  armed  vessels  should  have  been 
sent  on  a  reconnoissance  of  the  enemy's  powerful 
fleet,  which  they  could  not  lioj)e  to  successfully 
oppose  ;  or  have  remained  in  the  shallow  bayous  to 
prevent  the  enemy's  landing — is  (piite  anothei*  <jues- 
tion.  As  adjuncts  to  the  army,  they  would  have 
been  invaluable,  as  subse([uently  demonstrated  in  the 
distinguished  part  taken  by  the  navy  in  the  little 
Carolina  and  Louisiana. 

Fourth  :  Another  serious  deficiency  was  tlie  lack 
of  fortifications  ade(|uate  to  guard  the  vulneral)le 
points  of  Louisiana,  which  were  well  known  to  the 
government  by  maps  and  re])orts  made,  nearly  two 
years  before,  by  Major  Latour  and  his  assistant  engi- 
neer. Tliat  this  territory  was  destined  to  l)e  imaded 
was  well  known,  that  its  scattered  and  mixed  po})u- 
lation    furnished    a   feeble    defense,  and   tliat  New 


MA.TOK    A.  LACARRIEIIE    LATOUR. 


335 


hiok 
•altle 
>  the 

tAVO 

eiigi- 
aded 
u»pil- 
New 


Orleans,  tlie  })riceles.s  einporium  of  the  mighty  Mis- 
sissi])])i  valley,  was  almost  naked  to  the  enemy. 

Fifth  :  ( )n  the  arrival,  December  2d,  of  General 
Jackson  at  New  Orleans,  the  personnel  of  defense 
was  as  appallingly  deficient  as  the  materiel.  He 
had  at  hand  onlv  two  skeleton  rei^iments  of  newly 
recrnited  regnlars,  the  remainder  of  his  force  being 
raw  militia  drawn  from  the  invaded  district.  On 
the  IGtli,  he  informed  the  Secretary  of  War  that 
neither  the  Tennessee  nor  Kentucky  troops  had 
arrived,  though  daily  expected.  The  supply  of 
arms  and  annnunition  was  wholly  inadetpiate  to  the 
exigency,  but  was  partially  remedietl  by  General  Car- 
roll's foresight  in  transferring  some  of  it,  slowly  de- 
scending the  Ohio,  to  his  own  swifter  boats;  other- 
wise, the  whole  Kentucky  re-enforcement  would 
have  l)een  weaponless  on  the  day  of  trial.  As  it 
was,  1,50(>  of  them,  (jn  the  8th  of  January,  were 
mere  lookers  on,  having  only  picks  and  sho^'^els  for 
arms  ;  and,  as  stated  in  Jackson's  despatch  of  Feb.  18, 
1815,  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  "when  the  enemy 
landed,  Ite  had  not  a  flint  except  what  was  procured 
from  the  Baratarians." 

Sirth  :  The  political  obstacles,  in  the  way  of  the 
conunanding  general's  exei'cise  of  power,  were  nu- 
merous ;  but  l)elong  to  civil  rather  than  to  mill- 
tarv  criticism. 

Seventh:  So  confident  were  all  that  the  enemy 
w<>uld  move  upon  New  (Orleans  by  the  Gentilly  road, 
or  some  other  well-known  pass,  that  the  Bayou  Bien- 
venue,  emptying  into  the  head  of  Lake  Horgne,  was 
un watched,  except  by  a  feeble  guard  which  was  cap- 


336 


LOUISIANA    CAMI»AIGN    OF    1814-15. 


tiired  by  the  enemy.  It  certainly  sliould  have  been 
in  some  way  fortiiied  oi'  obstructed  to  [H'event  tlie 
passage  of  the  enemy's  boats ;  but,  whether  tliis 
neglect  was  due  to  the  Chief  Engineer,  or  some  other 
officer,  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 

Ki(jhth  :  (xeneral  Jackson's  prompt  attack  of  the 
enemy  soon  after  his  arrival  upon  the  left  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  nine  miles  below  New  Orleans, 
doubtless  saved  that  city ;  but,  as  night  assaults  are 
almost  always  attended  with  much  confusion  if  not 
fatal  disorder,  it  prol)al)ly  would  have  been  more 
Judicious  to  have  accunmlated  troops,  made  all  his 
dispositions  under  cover  of  the  darkness  of  Decem- 
ber 23d,  and  surprised  the  enemy  at  dawn  of  the 
24th  with  no  unreasonable  hope  of  captui'ing  the 
whole,  o'  at  least  a  part  of  this  British  advance. 

N'tiifli :  Rodriguez  Canal  was  a  well-chosen  ])osi- 
tion  where  to  dam  the  torrent  of  British  invasion 
sweeping  onward  to  overwhelm  the  rich  city  of  New 
Orleans,  and  was  sufficiently  distant  from  it  to  pro- 
tect the  place  from  the  enemy's  fire,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  admit  of  additional  interior  lines  upon  whicli 
to  fall  back  in  the  event  of  disaster.  The  eneri^v 
displayed  in  strengthening  this  line,  and  the  judi- 
cious a])plicatioii  of  materials  at  hand,  were  admir 
able ;  and  the  three  successive  defenses,  especially 
that  of  January  8th,  were  above  all  praise. 

Tenth  :  The  pre}>arations,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  in  troops,  arms  and  fortifications, 
were  so  defective  that  a  slicrht  accident  alone  delaved 
the  enemy  from  pi'omptly  pushing  uj)  to  the  Bois- 
geiTais  line,  the  only  intrenchment  on  the  right  bank 


MA.IOli    A.  LACARUIEKE    LATOUR. 


337 


of  any  real  strenii'tli.  Arrixed  liere  in  time  the 
enemy  would  liave  taken  in  reverse  tlie  Rodriguez 
line  on  the  left  bank,  ])()ssil)ly  turninsj^  the  tide  of 
battle,  causing  its  complete  evacuation,  Jackson's 
retreat  to  the  Dujn'e  line,  and  the  successful  storm- 
ing of  the  latter  weak  intrenchment  by  tlie  large 
force  in  front  under  Packingliani. 

KUrentJi :  After  the  overwhelming  defeat  of  the 
enemy  on  the  8th  of  January,  two  courses  pre- 
sented themselves  to  the  victor:  one  to  make  a  vig;- 
or<uis  sortie  fi-om  his  works  and  crush,  if  possi})le, 
the  greatly  demoralized  enemy;  the  other  to  main- 
tain his  defensive  attitude  befoi'e  New  Orleans,  a 
city  which  it  was  his  first  duty  to  save.  With  vet- 
eran disci])line(l  ti'oops,  familiar  with  tactical  evo- 
lutions, there  is  no  (question,  according  to  all  the 
rules  of  war,  that  Jackson  should  have  sallied  out 
from  behind  his  intrenchment,  destroyed  the  enemy's 
heavy  artillery  in  his  batteries,  and  have  rajtidly 
pursued  and  cut  to  jiieces  the  tlying  foe;  but,  with 
raw  militia,  badly  ai'med,  unskilled  in  field  man- 
O'uvi'es,  and  having  no  military  exi)ei'ience  otlier  than 
that  just  gained,  it  is  vei'y  doubtful  whether  it  was 
not  better  to  build  a  bridge  for  the  enemy's  escape, 
than  to  tight  an  ai'niy  of  old  ti'oo[)s  in  the  open' field. 
However,  as  the  best  ci'itic  on  the  war  holds  differ- 
ent view s,  we  oi\ c  General  Armstrono:'s  renuirks  in 
his  own  woi'ds : 

"In  General  Jackson's  official  letter  of  the  9th  of 
January,  we  have  a  detail  of  the  impoi-tant  occurrences 
of  the  day  preceding — exhibiting,  on  tlie  [)art  of  the 
enemy,  a  total  route,  setting  at   defiance  both   per- 


■ii 


338 


LOUISIANA    CAMI'AKIN    OF    1814  15. 


suasion  and  autliorlty  ;  a  fact,  wliicli  at  once  j)resents 
the  question — wliy,  under  sucli  circumstances,  the 
victory  had  not  been  consununated,  V)y  a  prompt  and 
vigorous  pursuit  of  the  fugitives.  To  tliis  ([uestion, 
tlii-ee  answers,  different  if  not  discorchuit,  liave  been 
given  ;  that  of  Jackson  himself  ascribes  the  omission 
altogetlier  to  '  tlie  defeat  of  Morgan  on  the  western 
side  of  the  river';  that  of  Eaton,  tlie  (Ttaieral's  bio- 
gra[)her  and  jirotego,  'to  a  want  of  ai'ins,  Avliicli  tlie 
government  Iiad  failed  to  supply';  while  the  his- 
torian of  Louisiana  attri])utes  it  to  'a  bonhommie,' 
somewhat  akin  to  the  inspiration  which,  acciu'ding 
to  Phitarch,  ])reveiited  Hannibal  fi'om  entering  and 
sacking  liome  at  the  l)attle  of  Caniue. 

"It  may  not  be  useless  to  see  how  far  such 
reasons  will  be  sustained  by  rules,  probal)ly  coeval 
with  war  as  a  science.  According  to  these,  'when, 
from  any  cause,  you  find  your  enemy  weak  and  dis- 
pirited,  it  l^ecoines  your  <luty  to  attack  him  promj)tly 
and  vigorously,' — '  Nothing  should  [)revent  you  from 
pursuing  a  beaten  and  flying  enemy,  but  a  total 
want  of  provisions' — 'why  engage  in  a  wai',  but  to 
subdue  an  adversary^  And  if  so,  wliy,  after  beat- 
ing him  to-day,  give  him  time  to  rally  and  fight  you 
to-morrow^  The  mere  possession  of  afield  of  bat- 
tle, is  a  barren  victory' — 'Decisive  battles  shorten 
wars,  and  thus  confer  a  benefit  on  both  belligerents.' 
Yielding,  h<>wever,  to  (xeneral  Jackson,  the  right  of 
inter})reting  military  maxims,  as  freely  as  he  was 
wont  to  interjH'et  constitutional  ([uestions  and  legal 
enactments— tliat  is,  ^  a>i  Ju-  inylersitood  tJiein'  still  it 
may  be  asked,  why,  if  forbidden  by  ])ru(ience  and 


MAJOR    A.   LACAURIKllE    LATOl'K. 


339 


liumaiiity  fioiii  destroying  a  beaten  enemy,  he  should 
not  have  followed  the  exani])le  of  Caesar,  who, 
refusing  on  this  gi'ound  to  tight  Africanus,  was,  at 
the  same  time,  careful  to  seize  sti'ategic  ]X)ints,  cut 
him  off  from  his  su[)[)lies,  and  thus,  without  shed- 
ding a  drop  of  l)lood,  compel  him  to  surren<ler. 

"That  the  a(k)[)tion  of  this  policy  by  Jackson, 
at  any  time  between  the  battle  of  the  Sth,  and  tlie 
retreat  of  the  18tli  of  January,  would  have  had  a 
similar  eifect  on  Lambert,  will  not  be  doubted  by 
those  who  know  that,  <lui-ing  the  j)eriod  we  have 
mentioned,  the  temper  of  the  British  ai'my  had  l)een 
much  soui'ed ;  their  disci[)line  greatly  imj)aii'ed  ; 
theii'  self-confidence  entirely  lost;  their  mairazine 
nearly  exhausted  ;  and  their  oidy  source  of  su[)p]y 
(the  British  shl[)ping)  eighty  miles  distant ;  ten  of 
which  were  (juagmire,  furnishing  a  single,  narrow, 
and  dano'erous  ])athway,  on  which  were  stratetric 
[>()ints,  which,  if  seize<l  and  defended,  by  even  small 
corps,  would  have  com[>letely  severed  Land)ertfrom 
his  base,  and  conn)elled  him  to  choost  between  a 
surrender  and  famine. 

"  If  a  pursuit  of  the  enemy  on  the  8th,  was,  in 
the  Generars  opinion,  a  game  too  hazardous  to  be 
ado])ted,  what,  under  any  view  of  the  subject,  2)re- 
vented  a  seizure  of  the  cannon,  left  l)ehin(l  on  the 
Held  of  l)attle  till  midnight  {  A  detachment  of 
one  hundied  men  would  have  anticipated  Lambert, 
and  depiived  him  of  his  guns,  eithei"  by  removing 
them,  or  by  knocking  off*  their  ti'unions.  Tlie  omis- 
sion to  do  this  is  the  more  extraordinary,  as  the 
British    batteries,    after    their    abandonment,    were 


im. 


340 


LOUISIANA    CAMPAIGN    OF    1814-16. 


visited,  and  the  i^nins  counted,  by  a  part  of  Jack- 
son's army." 

Twelfth :  Having;  freely  discussed  our  own,  let 
us  turn  to  the  enemy's  errors,  which  were  even 
i^reater. 

Havino;  a  fleet  and  numerous  liorht-drauirht  harcres, 
the  British  had  free  clioice  of  any  of  the  Avater- 
approaches  to  New  Orleans,  and  after  ca])turing  our 
few  gun-boats,  could  have  made  a  sudden  descent 
anywhere.  In  fact,  without  Jackson's  knowledge, 
2,400  combatants  reached  the  junction  of  Villerie's 
canal  with  the  bayou  Mazant  at  four  on  the  morn- 
ing of  December  23d,  and  before  noon  took  a  ])()si- 
tion  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  within  nine 
miles  of  New  Orleans,  to  which  there  Avas  a  good 
road.  At  this  time  Jackson's  small  undisci])line(l 
force  was  mostly  on  the  Gentill}'  road,  hence  no 
obstacle  lay  in  the  way  of  the  enemy,  who,  by  a 
rapid  march,  could  have  reached  the  defenseless  city 
by  3  p.  M.,  and  have  captured  it  before  Jackson 
could  have  marched  to  the  rescue  to  save  the  city 
from  the  grasp  of  the  invaders,  of  whose  approach 
he  was  entirely  ignorant  till  1.30  p.  m.  Failing  in 
this,  on  the  morning  of  the  24th,  when  his  force  had 
swelled  to  4,800  veteran  combatants,  the  enemy 
certainly  could  have  beaten  or  have  put  to  flight 
Jackson's  small  force  of  raw  troops.  The  British 
general's  fatal  delay  till  the  28th,  gave  the  energetic 
Jackson  time  to  throw  up  intrenchments,  and  led 
Packingham  then  to  conclude  "  that  the  works  to  be 
assailed  were  not  to  be  longer  considered  as  fleld- 
fortifications,  but  to  be  proceeded  against  by  a  regu- 


MA.)  »R    A.  LACARRIKRE    LATOUR. 


341 


\av  siege,"  wliieli  lie  undertook,  Janiiaiy  If^t,  when, 
our  ai'tillery  fire  jn'oving  superior  to  his,  the  British 
general  deferred  further  action  till  the  8th,  hoping  to 
gain  his  object  by  making  a  diversion  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Mississip})i.  This  hitter  was  very  badly 
executed,  in  nf)t  having  sufficient  traiisj)ortation  for 
Thornton's  whole  force  to  cross  the  river;  want  of 
l»unctuality  in  assembling  the  boats  ;  making  no 
allowance  for  the  current  of  the  river ;  having  no 
])reconcerted  signals  between  the  army,  on  the  left, 
and  the  detachment,  on  the  right  bank;  and  finally, 
through  all  these  delays,  nullifying  the  entire  effect 
of  the  demonstration  by  letting  its  action  folJoir 
instead  of  i^recede  the  main  operation.  But  much 
the  greater  mistake  was  in  not  making  the  move- 
ments on  the  left  bank  subsidiary  to  those  on  the 
right,  where  the  fortifications  were  weak ;  their 
defenders  few,  ill-armed  and  undisciplined ;  and 
where,  from  deficiency  of  water-craft,  re-enforce- 
ments could  not  have  l)een  transported  across  the 
river  in  time  to  prevent  the  storming  of  the  Bois- 
gervais  intrenchment,  the  only  real  obstacle  l)e- 
tween  the  enemy  and  New  Orleans. 


hv 


I 


Br; 


CHAPTER    NINTH. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  ENGINEERS, 

ENOAdEn    IN   THE 

CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE   WAR  OF    1H12-15. 


BRIG.-GENERAL   CHARLES   GRATIOT. 

1 787-1  sr);'). 


4 


Charles  Gratiot  was  l)oni,  Anij^nst  29,  1787,  at 
8t.  Louis,  Mo.,  then  Louisiana  Territory.  His  an- 
cestors were  Hugiienots,  who,  u])on  the  revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  \vere  coni[)elled  to  einigi'ate 
from  France  to  escape  I'eligious  persecution.  Tliey 
took  refuge  in  Switzerhmd,  carrying  with  them  their 
morals  and  industry. 

Charles  Gratiot,  tlie  father,  after  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  named,  was  ))orn,  in  1747,  at 
Lausanne  on  Lake  Geneva;  was  adopted  by  an 
uncle,  by  whom  he  was  educated  in  London,  as  a 
protestant ;  ^vhen  twenty  years  old,  became  a  mei-- 
chant  in  Montreal,  Canada;  and,  being  j^ossessed  of 
strong  sense  and  energy,  \vas  placed  at  the  head  of  a 

trading  ex})edition  beyond   the  Great   Lakes,  where 

;M2 


BRIO.-GENERAL    CHARLES    CJRATIOT. 


343 


he  founded  tlie.old  Hritisli  pont  of  C^uliokia,  and  ob- 
tained o'lvat  wealth  and  iniluence.  His  sliare  in  huh- 
tainini:;  (ieneral  (ieori>i;e  lloi^ern  (Darke's  eon(|uest  of 
the  Noitli-west  Tei'i'itorv,  from  the  British,  in  177H, 
is  well  known;  and,  so  hii^ldy  did  the  Colony  of 
Virii;inia  ap]>reeiate  tliese  etl'orts  in  iicr  Itehalf,  tl»at 
slie  (h^si<»;ned  to  ]>resent  (xi-atiot  witli  3(),0(>(>  aeres  of 
land  in  Kentucky,  the  fulfilment  of  whicli  |)urpose 
his  i^enerous  ifature  failed  to  claim  at  the  time  wIkmi 
the  Ancient  I)<^niinion  acknowledged  tlie  del»t,  and 
which,  unfortunately  for  his  descendants,  was  not 
sul)se(juently  confirmed  when  Virginia  became  one 
of  the  laiited  States  of  America. 

As  a  slight  recognition  of  the  fatliei-'s  generous 
and  efficient  services,  President  Jeiferson,  a  Vir- 
ginian, soon  after  the  ac(iuisition  of  Louisi,  jia  from 
Fi'ance,  appointed  his  eldest  son,  C^iiarles,  a  C'adet 
of  the  V.  S.  Military  Academy,  which  he  entered 
July  17,  1804.  Upon  his  graduation  therefrom, 
October  30,  180(»,  he  was  prcmioted,  in  the  Army,  to 
be  Second  Lieutenant  of  the  Cor])S  of  Engineers,  in 
which  arm  of  the  service  he  remained  for  tliirty-tvvo 
years,  passirig  through  all  its  grades  to  the  highest — 
that  of  Chief  Engineei'.  While  yet  a  Cadet,  he  was 
detailed  for  duty  at  Grovernor's  Island,  New^  York 
Harbor,  and  was  then  sent  to  Rocky  Mount,  S.  C, 
as  an  assistant  engineer  upon  the  works  there  in 
progress.  Upon  his  promotion,  February  23,  1808, 
to  be  a  Ca})tain,  he  was  ordered  to  Charleston,  S.  C, 
as  princi[)al  assistant  .ipon  the  fortifications  in  that 
harbor,  tlien  under  the  supei'intendence  of  Major 
Alexander  Macomb.      In  the  fall  of  this  same  xear 


344 


FlRIfJ.-OKVKHAI,    CHAHLKS    (JKATIOT. 


lie  took  cii.'ii'i^c,  t('iM|)oraiiIy,  of  tli<'  cojist  (N'I'ciiscs  of 
Nortli  Carolina,  and,  sonic  in<tntlis  later,  Ix'canie  en- 
j^ineer  on  the  stati'  of  (iciici-al  Wade  ilanijiton, 
whose  liea(l(|Uai'tei"s  were  neai'  Natchez.  In  the 
spi-in*::  <'f  l''^J"  tli(^  (  aptain  was  ortU'icd  to  West 
Point,  N.  v.,  wliere  lie  remained  in  coninian<l  of  the 
Post  (exclusive  of  the  Miiitai'v  Acath'iny)  till  isll, 
during;  the  uhsence  of  ('oh)nel  Williams,  then  Chief 
Knpneer. 

The  day  aftei'  his  hcariiiu' of  the  Declai-atioii  (»f 
War  against  (ireat  Hritian,  ('a]>tain  (Jratiot,  bein^- 
then  at  St.  Louis  visitinic  his  parents  duriiiii;  his  leaxe 
of  absence,  immediately  [)roceeded  to  W  ashinii;toii 
to  ask  for  active  service;  and  was  at  once  ap|toiiited 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  North  Western  Army,  with 
orders  to  stop  m 


mutt  at  Pittslmrg  to  aid  in  the 
preparation  of  ordnance  and  ordmuice  stores  for 
General  Harrison's  forces  then  in  the  Held.  Not  till 
November,  1812,  could  Cajitain  (iratiot  and  his 
escort  of  300  men  move,  with  the  heavy  train  of 
twelve  pieces  of  artillery  and  two  hundred  loaded 
vehicles,  to  Lower  Saiulusky  through  an  almost 
trackless  wilderness  where  a  wheel  had  never  I'olled. 
After  persistently  overcoming  winter's  cold,  bad 
roads,  want  of  forage,  an<l  numerous  other  dllHcul- 
ties,  he  delivered,  January  5,  1818,  his  whole  charge, 
without  even  the  l<>ss  of  a  bullet,  to  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  who,  soon  after  Winchester's  defeat,  directed 
(Iratiot  to  join  him  without  delay  at  Maumee  I\a))i<ls, 
He  promptly  obeyed  ;  crossed  the  l^lack  Swamp;  in 
forty-eight  hours  re[)oi'ted  to  Harrison ;  and  re- 
ceived his  warm  acknowledgments,  not  onl}'  for  his 


BRIrt.-OENERAI-    rilAUI-KS    OIIATIOT. 


345 


great  deMpatcli,  but  also  for  fi,(M)()  cartridges  he  had 
brought  in  liis  own  sled,  without  which  the  troops 
theiv  would  not  have  been  able  t<»  make  the  least 
resistance,  had  they  been  attacked. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  what  we  liave  so  fully 
given  in  c]ia[)ter  third,  res[)ec'ting  Harrison's  marches 
and  counter-marches;  of  tlie  selection  l)y  Caj)tain 
Gratiot,  February  3-4,  1813,  of  the  excellent  de- 
fensive j)osition  (»n  the  right  bank  of  the  Maumee ; 
its  occupation  by  tlie  North  Western  Army  ;  and  of 
the  energ<.^tic  construction  of  Fort  Meigs  by  Captain 
Wood. 

During  the  Spring  of  1813,  Gratiot's  labors, 
anxieties  and  exp(>sure  had  brought  oi»  a  severe 
typhus  fever,  from  which  he  was  hardly  convalescent 
when  the  first  attack  was  made  on  Fort  Meigs.  Not- 
withstandinii:,  he  took  char<i:e,  dav  and  nisjht,  of  a 
l)atterv,  and  manauvd  it  with  such  abilitv  and  effect 
as  to  call  forth  special  encomiums  in  general  orders. 

After  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  Harrison,  with 
the  elite  of  his  army,  moved  to  the  Niagara  frontier, 
leaving  in  Upper  Canada  and  Michigan  a  broken 
and  disorganized  foive  of  about  2,700  men,  under 
General  Mc Arthur.  This  oiHcer,  and  others  of  rank 
present  at  the  fall  of  Detroit  in  1812,  were  summoned 
as  witnesses  before  a  C/ourt  Martial,  to  be  convened 
at  Albany,  for  the  trial  of  Major-General  Hull.  The 
withdrawal  of  every  officer  of  rank  and  experience 
embarrassed  the  commander  not  a  little.  To  remedy 
the  evil,  so  far  as  practicable,  it  was  suggested  by 
General  Lewis  Cass,  Just  appointed  by  Harrison 
Military  Governor  of  Michigan,  that  a  commission 


346 


JmiG.-dKNERAL    CIIARLFIS    GRATIOT. 


in  the  State  militi«a  could  ])e  issued  to  any  one  of 
the  sul)oi'dinates  in  whom  confidence  was  re])osed, 
and  tlius  obviate  tlie  difficulty.  This  suijijestion  ))e- 
ing  approved,  Ca})tain  (xi-avii^t  was  brevetted,  (Oc- 
tober 5,  1813,  Cohmel  of  Michii^an  Militia,  and 
placed  at  the  liead  of  a  res])onsible  connnand  of 
militia  and  reo-nlars,  with  hea(h[uai'ters  at  Maiden, 
the  country  around  which  Proctor  had  devastated  up- 
on his  recent  retreat,  havinii:  also  exhausted  Michigan 
of  its  resoui'ces.  Under  these  circumstances,  and 
with  a  depleted  (piartermaster  and  connnissary  de- 
piartment,  it  \vas  no  easy  matter  to  subsist  an  army  and 
prevent  the  starvation  of  the  iidial)itants ;  yet  the 
new  Colonel,  by  his  excellent  discipline  and  admirable 
management,  so  well  ])rovided  for  both,  during  the 
entire  winter  and  ensuing  spring,  that  not  a  single 
complaint  was  made,  nor  punishment  inflicted.  In 
recognition  of  these  services,  one  of  the  counties  of 
the  State  of  Mic-higan  has  l)een  named  (rratiot. 

After  our  recovery  of  Detroit  and  Michigan 
Territory,  (xeneral  McArthiir,  coimnanding  the 
Eighth  Military  Disti'ict,  the  l)etter  to  secure  these 
ac(piisitions  against  Bi'itish  and  Indian  incui'sions, 
and  cover,  in  case  of  disaster,  the  I'etreat  of  an  ex- 
pedition he  designed  sending  in  the  spi'ing  to 
recapture  St.  Josephs  and  Mackinaw,  directed 
works  to  be  erected  at  the  outU4  of  Lake  Huron,  the 
construction  of  which  was  connnitted  to  (Jratiot, 
who,  with  a  force  of  300  men,  fortified  tlie  heights 
at  the  head  of  St.  Claii'  Straits.  In  six  weeks  the 
works  were  coin])lete(l,  and,  in  honor  of  tlie  engineei", 
when  the  fleet   sul>se<[uently   passed   this  point  of 


Blllft.-GENETIAL    CHARLES    ORATIOT. 


347 


seeuritv,  ])otli  tlu'  land  and  soa  comiuaiiders,  in  ex- 
pression of  their  approval,  <»\ive  tlie  fort  tlie  name  of 
(iratiot,  wliic'li  it  lias  since  hoi'ne. 

The  naval  expedition  under  Comniander  St.  Clair, 
with  the  land  forces  commanded  by  the  gallant 
Colonel  Croghan,  did  not  leave  Detroit  till  the  be- 
ginning of  July,  1814,  the  details  of  which  we  have 
given  in  our  chapter  on  that  cam])aign.  (rratiot 
accompanied  this  ex])edition,  and  ])articlpated  in  all 
its  operations,  ])ai'ticularly  the  attack  on  Fort 
Mackinaw,  August  4,  1814,  and  while  in  conunand 
of  a  detachment  landed,  Se])tember  13,  1814,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Natewasaga  Kiver,  and  succeeded 
in  destroying  six  months'  supplies  of  provisions  de- 
poHited  there  by  the  enemy  for  ti-ansportation  to 
Mackinaw. 

After  the  Pi'oclamation  of  Peace  with  (ireat 
Britain,  (Jratiot  was  promoted,  February  ^>,  181;"),  to 
be  a  ]\[ajor  and  was  assigned  to  the  supervision,  in 
181(i,  of  the  fortifications  of  Delaware  River  and 
Bay. 

Inder  the  Treaty  of  (xhent,  Mackinaw  and  its 
dependencies  were  surrendered  to  us.  (iratiot,  as 
Chief  Engineer  of  De[)artment  No.  3  (embracing 
Michigan  and  the  North  West  Territories)  in  1817, 
accom])aiiied  the  trooj)s  destined  to  garrison  these 
works,  which  he  put  into  a  |>ai'tial  state  of  defense, 
and  established  the  j»ost  of  (Jreen  Hay. 

Among  the  first  works  projected  by  the  Board  of 
Engineers  were  those  for  the  defense  of  the  great 
anchorage  called  "  IIani]>ton  Roads,"  at  the  mouth 
of  James  River.     The  instruction  of  these  works — 


a 


11  >i 


348 


BRIG.-GENERAL    CHARLES    GRATIOT. 


llr 


Fort  Monroe  and  Fort  Callionn  (now  Wool) — was 
intrusted  in  1819  to  Major  (Iratiot — a  marked  com- 
pliment to  him,  they  being  among  the  most  impor- 
tant defenses  on  the  entire  Atlantic  coast.  Foi'  ten 
years  he  was  engaged  U|Hm  the  rip-rap  foundation  of 
Fort  Calhoun,  and  in  buihling  Fort  Monroe,  the 
largest  in  area  and  tlie  e(]ual  in  armament  of  any  of 
the  coast  defenses  of  the  United  States. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Majoi'-deneral  Jacob 
Brown,  the  Chief  Enij-ineer — Alexander  Macoml) — 
was  appointed  to  succeed  him  as  (Teneral-in-Cliief, 
the  place,  left  vacant,  being  filled,  May  24,  1828,  l)y 
the  promotion  of  Lieut.-Colonel  (Iratiot  to  be  Chief 
Engineer  with  the  rank  of  Colonel,  he  l)eing  at  the 
same  time  brevetted  a  J^rigadier-(ieneral,  U.  S.  Army, 
'* for  meritorious  services  and  general  good  conduct." 

As  Ciiief  Engineer  of  the  Army,  and  {cv-opicio) 
Inspector  of  the  A[ilitary  Academy,  General  Gi-atiot, 
with  headtpiarters  at  Washington  CUty,  continued  in 
the  active  performance  of  his  varied  and  res])onsible 
duties  till  I)ecend)er  (5,  18,'^8,  when,  most  unex- 
pectedly to  himself,  his  corps,  the  whole  army,  and 
his  numerous  friends,  he  was  dismissed  l)y  the  I^'csi- 
dent  of  the  United  States,  for  "having  failed  to  pay 
into  the  Treasury  the  l)alance  of  the  moneys  placed 
in  his  hands,  in  iS.'i."),  for  public  j)ur])oses,  after  sus- 
pending therefrom  the  amount  which  he  claims  to  be 
due  liini  on  settlement  of  accounts,  according  to  the 
President's  oi'der,  communicated  to  him  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  on  Hie  28th  November,  18.')8  ;  and 
having  neglected  to  render  his  accounts  in  obedience 
to  the  law  of  Januaiy  .'H,  1828." 


imrG.-(iEXEHAL    CIIAULKS    OUATIOT. 


349 


atiot, 
(m1  ill 
silile 
iiiiex- 
aiul 
Pivsi- 
(I  pay 
)la('«'(l 
tr  sus- 
1  to  l»e 
to  the 
y    the 
; ;  and 
ilieiK'e 


AN'^liile  we  think  the  President's  siininiary  dis- 
missal of  a  meritorious  officer,  upon  an  (tlIe(j((tion  of 
defalcation,  was,  to  say  the  least,  very  harsh;  and 
that  Gratiot  was  entitled  to  a  fair  trial  hy  his  mili- 
tary peers — we  cannot  justify  the  General's  course  in 
the  premises,  notwithstanding  all  its  extenuating 
circumstances.  Tlioiiu'li  he  was  chai'ii'ed  Avith  retain- 
ing  a  much  larger  sum  of  government  funds  than 
was  subsequently  ]3ro\'ed  ;  tlujugh,  for  years,  he  had 
endeavored  to  secure  an  equitable  adjustment  of 
his  accounts  with  the  Treasury,  and  was  ready  to 
pay  over  any  balance  that  might  l)e  due  ;  though  liis 
only  supposed  redress  was  in  com[)elling  suit  against 
him,  as  lie  c(mld  not  bring  an  action  against  the  gov- 
ernment ;  and  thouirh  this  mode  of  reasonin<2;  was 
sound  in  his  own  mind  ;  vet,  while  believino;  him 
not  guilty  of  an  intentional  violation  of  a  trust',  we 
cannot  justify  him  in  taking  the  law  into  his  own 
hands,  and  doing  wrong  that  good  might  come. 

It  would  lead  us  beyond  the  limits  of  this  brief 
sketch  to  take  up  the  various  issues  of  this  case  ;  we 
must,  therefore,  limit  ourselves  to  giving  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Report  of  the  Judiciary  Committee 
of  the  United  States  Senate,  made  August  31,  1852, 
on  the  memorial  of  General  Gratiot : 

"  The  case  of  General  Gratiot,  who  Avas  the 
Cliief  of  the  Corps  of  Phigineers,  in  the  Army  of 
the  United  States,  lias  been  so  elal)orately  discussed 
in  every  circle,  and  so  fully  rei)orted  upon  to  Con- 
gress, that  the  history  of  the  whole  case  is  familiar 
to  every  one. 

"The   alleged  grievance,  which  constitutes   tlie 


r4' 


350 


BRIG.-GENERAL    CHARLES    GRATIOT. 


cause  of  his  dissatisfaction,  was  the  suinmary  dis- 
luissal  of  tlie  petitioner  from  the  army,  in  the  year 
1888,  l)y  the  President  of  the  linited  States — first, 
upon  tlie  plea  tliat  the  power  thus  exercised  was 
arbitrary,  and  contrary  to  the  true  meaning  and 
intent  of  tlie  act  of  Congress  conveying  it ;  and 
secondly,  that  a  defalcation  in  the  accounts  of  the 
petitioner,  which  was  the  cause  assigned  for  the 
removal,  did  not  and  never  did  exist  in  truth. 

"In  supi)ort  of  his  first  plea,  the  petitioner 
exhibits  a  mass  of  testimony,  which  is  certainly 
entitled  to  be  very  calmly  Aveighed  and  measured  ; 
and  among  the  same  is  the  opinion  of  the  General 
Conunanding-in-Chief,  upon  a  })arallel  case,  than 
which  no  authority  can  be  higher. 

"  In  support  of  the  second  plea,  he  denies  totally 
the  truth  of  the  charw  of  defalcaticm,  and  contends 
that  he  is  not,  and  never  was  indel)ted  to  the  United 
States  for  moneys  misused  by  him,  and  that  a  just 
and  legal  adjustment  of  his  accounts  will  bring  the 
United  States  in  debt  to  him  ;  that  the  withholding 
of  the  funds,  upon  the  demand  of  the  Secretary  of 
Wiiv,  was  a  measure  of  self-defense,  justified  by  the 
circumstances  of  the  case,  and  that  he  was  then  and 
is  now  })repared  for  an  e(piitable  settlement,  which 
is  his  demand  and  desire. 

"  It  seems  to  the  committee  that  both  of  the 
pleas  are  reasonal)le,  and  should  receive  attention, 
urged  as  they  are,  with  the  earnestness  of  conscious 
rectitude,  by  a  gallant  soldier,  who  has  accjuired  a 
right  to  be  heard  from  the  blood  he  has  spilled  in 
battle. 


BRTO.-OEXERAL    CHARLES    GRATIOT. 


351 


hicli 


•lOlll^ 


"  Fui'tlier  tlian  this  the  coiiiiiiittee  regret  that 
tliey  cannot  go,  as  it  is  not  in  their  [)o\ver  to  aifonl 
an  a(le(|uate  remedy  by  reconiniending  tlie  passage 
of  any  hiw  for  tlie  relief  of  the  petitioner,  and  tliey 
tlierefore  ask  to  be  discharged  from  the  further  con- 
sideration of  the  subject." 

From  such  an  unex])ected  reverse  it  was  not  easy 
to  recover,  though  he  bore  u})  under  his  misfortune 
most  wondei-fully,  ho]>ing,  for  years,  that  some  happy 
turn  of  the  wheel  of  fortune  would  bring  liini  relief. 
Poverty,  however,  soon  stared  him  in  the  face,  com- 
pelling him  to  acce])t,  in  1840,  the  position  of  a  com- 
mon clerk  in  the  Land  Office  at  \Vashinij:;ton.  He 
who  had  so  bravely  battled  for  his  country,  and  was 
the  son  of  one  who  liad  so  disinterestedly  lavished 
his  wealth  in  the  accpiisition  of  a  vast  territory 
foi'mingso  many  of  our  ricli  Northwestern  States,  to  be 
cast  down  from  one  of  the  most  honored  places  in  the 
land  to  the  lot  of  a  subordinate  clerkship,  was  truly 
a  sad  change  and  a  most  melancholy  spectacle.  He 
struggled  on,  loved  by  those  an  ho  knew  his  worth, 
respected  by  the  whole  community  in  which  he 
lived,  and  in  conscious  rectitude  cheerful  to  the  last, 
was  released  bv  death  from  all  earthly  trouble, 
May  18,  1855,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  which  had  grown 
from  a  wilderness  to  be  a  great  city  in  the  sixty- 
seven  years  he  had  lived. 

Professor  William  H.  C.  Hartlett,  one  of  Gen- 
eral (iratiot's  most  intimate  friends,  sends  to  us  the 
followiuii;  beautiful  summai'y  of  his  character:  "His 
mind  was  clear,  ca[)acious  and  well  [)oised  ;  and  as 
an  administratoi",  he  had  few  superiors.       His  life — ■ 


\- 

If 

;■     '   '■' 

352 


BRIG.-GENERAL    CHARLES    GRATIOT. 


private  and  public — was  adorned  with  the  finest 
traits  of  lumianity.  Genial  and  hospitable  by  dispo- 
sition, his  door  was  ever  open  and  his  well-supplied 
table  was  accessible  to  all  who  had  a  right  to  seek 
them,  especially  to  the  younger  members  of  his 
profession.  He  was  a  kind  and  devoted  husband; 
a  tender  and  indulgent  parent ;  a  tried  and  steadfast 
friend ;  and,  as  a  fitting  finish  to  his  well  rounded 
character,  nature  had  given  him  that  chiefest  of  all 
the  virtues,  an  abundant  charity. 

"The  writer  of  this  willing  tribute  to  his  cherished 
memory  was  associated  with  him  for  many  years  on 
terms  of  closest  official  and  social  intimacy,  and  he 
can  recall  no  instance  of  his  ever  hn\'ing  uttered  a 
disparaging  judgment  of  the  motives  of  others. 
And  even  when  oppressed  by  the  wrongs  that  sep- 
arated him  from  the  Army  and  afterwards  by  a  per- 
sonal rudeness  fnmi  a  (piarter  in  whose  behalf  he 
had  long  exerted  to  its  utmost  his  official  influence, 
he  never  forgot  his  self-respect,  but  his  last  words, 
like  those  of  his  Divine  Master  in  affliction,  only 
uttered  forgiveness,  and  he  died  in  the  full  faith  of 
the  ultimate  triumph  of  truth  and  a  confident  belief 
that  time  would  vindicate  his  good  name.  He  was 
not  mistaken.  General  Gratiot  was  a  pure  and  good 
man  in  the  largest  and  best  meaning  of  these  terms." 


CAFPAIX    WILLIAM    PARTRIDGE. 


353 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  PARTRIDGE. 

1788-1812. 

William  Partridge,  born,  1788,  in  \'erniont,  was 
graduated  October  30,  18()(),  at  the  Military  Academy 
and  promoted  to  be  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  Corp.s 
of  Engineers ;  served  till  1812  at  AVest  Point  and 
on  the  defenses  of  Charleston  Harbor,  S.  C  ;  and, 
having'  attained  the  rank  of  Ca[»tain,  July  1,  1812, 
became  Chief  P^ngineer  of  (ieneral  Hull's  army  ;  ill- 
health,  however,  preventing  his  taking  any  active 
part  in  the  campaign. 

Hull,  j)receding  his  cai)itulation  at  Detroit,  called 
a  council  of  war  under  the  [>arapet  in  old  Fort 
Shelby,  during  wliich  much  was  said  against  the 
necessity  of  a  surrender,  not  a  single  officer  present 
being  in  its  favor.  When  Hull,  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  whole  council,  announced  his  determination 
to  capitulate,  he  ordered  C^aptain  Snelling  of  the 
Fourtli  Infantry  "to  cross  the  river  with  a  flag,"  to 
which  the  indignant  Captain  re[)lied,  "I'll  see  you 
in  h — 1  first,"  \\\wu  the  General's  Aide-de-Camp — 
Captain  Hull — was  directed  to  perform  that  humili- 
ating duty  of  capitulation.  Captain  Partridge,  one 
of  the  council,  when  Hull  jtroclaimed  his  decision, 
broke  his  sword  across  his  knee  and  threw  the  pieces 
at  the  General's  feet.  Of  coui'se  I*artridge  became  a 
prisoner  t)f  war  l)y  the  surrender  of  Detroit  and  its 
garrison  ;  but  a  montii  after,  Se[)tember  20,  1812, 
he  died  in  the  entjmy's  hands  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-four. 


fliil! 


354 


imiO.-GENERAL    SYLVANUS   TIIAYEH. 


BRIG.-GENERAL  SYLVANUS  THAYER. 

1785-1872. 


J-V: 


Sylvanus  Thayer  was  born,  June  9,  1785,  at 
Braintree,  Mass. ;  received  a  classical  education  at 
Dartmouth  Colle<z;e,  N.  H. ;  was  i^raduated,  when 
twenty-three,  from  the  Military  Academy  ;  eiitered 
the  Corps  of  Enijineers,  February  23,  1808,  a  Second 
Lieutenant ;  as  Captain,  was  tlie  Acting  Chief  En- 
gineer to  Major-General  Ham])ton  in  1813,  his  senior, 
Major  Mcliee,  being  in  conunand  of  the  artillery 
train ;  rose  through  all  the  successive  grades  to 
C/oh)nel ;  was,  after  a  brilliant  military  career  of 
more  than  half  a  century,  retired  from  active 
duty;  became  a  Brevet  Brigadier-General  "for  dis- 
tinguished and  meritorious  services " ;  and  died, 
September  7,  1872,  at  Soutli  Braintree,  Mass.,  near 
where  he  was  born,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eightv- 
eight. 

As  General  Thayer's  biogra})liy  belongs  chieliy  to 
the  history  of  the  Militarv  Academv,  of  which  he 
was  justly  styled  "The  Father,"  we  will  only  add,  in 
this  place,  that  subse({uently  to  the  Campaign  of  1813, 
he  performed  no  other  duty  in  this  wai",  except  that 
of  Chief  Engineer,  in  181-1,  to  B\  t.  Brig.-General 
Moses  Porter's  forces  in  the  defense  of  Norfolk,  Va., 
where,  "for  his  meritorious  services,"  he  was  bre- 
vetted  a  Major  in  the  United  States  Army. 


BKFG. -GENERAL    KENE    E.  DE  KUSSY. 


355 


BRIG.-GENERAL  RENE  E.  DE  RUSSY. 

17Hl)-18(i5. 


Rene  E.  De  Rcssy,  Lorn,  Fe1»iiiai'y  22,  1789 
iu  tlie  Island  of  Ilayti,  West  Indies,  was  of  noble 
ancestiT  datin<j!:  back  to  the  Ci'usader,  8ii'  Armolot 
de  Russy,  who  served  nnder  Riehard  CVeur  de 
Lion.  Ilis  father,  Thomas  De  Russy,  a  native  of 
St.  Malo,  France,  was  a  Midshipman  in  the  War  of 
the  Revolution,  subse(iueutly  brevetted  })y  Di*. 
Franklin  (one  of  oui'  Conunissioners  to  France)  to 
a  Lieutenancy  foi-  his  nieritorious  conduct  in  the 
action  of  the  "  Pallas,"  of  Paul  Jones'  fleet,  which 
ca})tured  the '' Countess  of  Scarborough"  off  Fhmi- 
borough  Head,  September  1*8,  lV7t>,  the  same  night 
on  which  took  place  the  desperate  ))attle  of  the  "Bon 
Homme  Richard"  against  the  Bi'itish  ship  "  Serapis," 
aided  by  the  traitor  Lan(hus  in  the  "Alliance."  After 
the  Revolution,  Thomas  De  Russy  came  with  Paul 
Jones  to  Amei'ica,  where  he  had  a  Hattering  recep- 
tion. On  returning  to  France  he  sold  his  [)atrimo- 
nial  estates  and  emigrated  to  St.  Domingo,  where  he 
purchased  a  j)lantation.  The  doctrines  of  ecpiality 
and  freedom  for  all,  proclaimed  by  the  French  Na- 
tional Convention,  designed  to  l)e  confined  exclu- 
sively to  the  whites,  soon  had  theii'  logical  sequence 
when  the  blacks,  in  17l*l,  rose  in  insurrection  and 
conunitted  the  most  iiorrilile  atrocities.  Thomas 
de  Russy,  with  the  sagacity  of  an  ex})erienced 
sailor,  early  provided  a  retrejit  foi-  his  family.  His 
infant  son  Rene,  was  carried  in  the  nurse's  arms  on 


WW 


3;")  6 


imiO.-CiKXKUAL    KENE    K.   DE  KIJSSY, 


board  an  American  vesHel  of  Wai,  then  at  anchor  in 
the  harbor  of  Port  an  Prince,  the  father  barely 
escaping  captnre  wlien  seeking  tlie  same  refnge.  On 
the  ari'ival  of  tlie  sliip  in  the  United  States,  the 
former  services  of  Thomas  J)e  Knssy  were  not  for- 
gotten, and,  accordingly,  two  of  his  sons — Rene  and 
Louis — when  of  tlie  proper  age,  were  placed  in  the 
Military  Academy  to  be  educated. 

Rene  E.  De  Russy  was  appointed  a  Cadet, 
March  20,  1H07,  and  U[)on  his  gi-aduation  from  the 
U.  S.  Military  Academy,  was  [)i'omote(l  to  be  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  June  10, 
1812,  from  wliich  he  rose  through  all  the  successive 
grades  till  he  became  Colonel,  March  3,  18G3. 

A  week  after  De  Russy's  entrance  into  the  Army, 
war  was  declared  by  the  United  States  against 
Great  Britain,  he  beiuii*  then  enij:ai''ed  as  an  assistant 
eno-ineei'  on  the  fortifications  of  New  York  harbor. 
The  next  year,  September  6,  1818,  he  reported  at 
Sackett's  Harbor,  to  Bi'ig.-General  Joseph  G.  Swift, 
the  Chief  Eiiijineer  of  Wilkinson's  army  then  about 
to  descend  the  St.  Lawrence,  In  this  campaign  he 
was  engaged  in  reconnoitring  the  ap])roaches  to  the 
river;  in  the  repulse  of  the  British  tlotilla,  Novem- 
ber 1-2,  at  the  mouth  of  French  Creek  ;  and  in  the 
battle  of  Crysler's  Field,  November  11,1818.  When 
this  army  left  its  wintei*  cpiarters  at  French  Mills, 
De  Russy  accompanied  AA'ilkinson  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  was  engaged  in  the  attack  of  La  Cole 
Mill,  March  80,  1814.  After  Wilkinson  was  super- 
seded, De  Russy  continued  with  that  army  and  took 
an  active  part,  under  Major  Totten,  in  the  construe- 


HKHi.-riENKlIAL    IJKXK    K.   DK   ItrsSY. 


357 


tioii  of  tilt'  (lefeiise^<of  CuinbcrlaiKl  ITcad  and  Platts- 
huru;.  In  the  ])attU'  of  S('j)tenil)er  II,  1814,  at  the 
latter  [>Ia('e,  lie  was  ('ons])ic'Uoiis  ;  was  liio:]ily  com- 
])Hnieiite(l  in  tlie  eoininandiiiiLi:;  i^eneraTs  otticial  des- 
[)atc'li  ;  and  was  bivvetted  a  Ca])tain  for  his  "gal- 
lant conduct/'  Aftei-  (lovenior  Provost's  defeat, 
Maj(H' Totten  joined  (rencral  Izarcl  on  his  niai'ch  to 
the  Niauai-a  frontier,  which  left  Captain  I)e  Russy 
the  Chief  Knu'ineei"  of  (reneral  IMaconil/s  Division. 
Aft<'r  the  war,  till  18.S;},  he  '.vas  pi'incipally  engaged 
nj)on  the  defenses  of  Rouse's  ]\)int,  of  Xew  ^'ork 
harhor,  and  of  the  (iulf  ()f  Mexico. 

Whih^  in  charge  of  these  latter  woi'ks,  Afajor- 
(xeneral  Andrew  Jackson  was  in  conmiand  of  the 
Southern  Military  Division  of  the  United  States,  and, 
upon  our  acipiisition  of  Kloi-ida  from  Spain  in  1821, 
was  made  (lovernor  of  tlftit  Territory.  Jackson  wish- 
ing the  services  of  his  nephew — Lieutenant  A.  J.  Don- 
elson,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers — then  on  duty  with 
the  Captain,  re(|uested  De  Russy  to  consent  to  his 
transfer  to  the  (Jenerars  command  in  order  to  be- 
come his  private  Secretary.  ( )f  course  the  courteous 
De  Russy  assented,  which  obliging  complaisance  had 
doubtless  no  small  intluence  in  the  old  hero's  selection, 
when  President  of  the  Iniited  States,  of  Major  De 
Russy  to  succeed  Colonel  Thayer  in  the  Su])erin- 
tendency  of  the  Military  Academy,  in  the  command 
of  which  he  continued  till  Se[)tember  1,  1888.  Tlis 
predecessor  had  left  the  institution  in  so  Houi-isliing  a 
condition,  that  little  more  was  to  be  done  than  to 
continue  its  foi'ward  imj)ulse.  However,  under  De 
Russy'.s  administi-ation,  the  present  fine   Academic 


8r)8 


IJUKJ.-OKNKKAL    UKNK    K.   DK   IM  SSY. 


Hall  was  coiinnenced  ;  a  Piofossorship  of  Clicmistiy, 
Miiu'raloiry  and  (icoloi^y  was  {Tcatcd  ;  and  many 
minor  additions  were  mad<^  t(»  tlie  public  buildings. 
At  tlie  same  time  lie  found  leisure  to  devise,  in  IH.'iy, 
a  Depressinu:;  (iun-(  Carriage  for  Sea-Coast  Hai'bette 
Batteri<'s,  eontaii»in<!:  the  principles  of  the  aftei-  de- 
vice of  Colonel  Moncriett"  of  the  British  Army,  to 
whom  in  Kui-oi)e  the  credit  of  the  invention,  due  to 
I)e  Russy,  is  generally  gi\en.  The  working  model 
of  this  carriage  which  was  tlien  deposited  in  the  Engi- 
neer Bureau  at  Washington,  was  exhibited  at  the 
(Vntennial  Kxhibition  in  the  (lovei'iiment  Building, 
in  the  sunnnerof  bSTC),  and  attracted  much  attention 
among  military  men.  It  was  during  De  Ivussy's 
su[)erinten(lency  that  the  ( )ld  Library  Building  was 
burned,  Fe!)i'uary  1*.>,  iS.'iS,  with  most  of  thearcliives 
of  the  Academy,  an<l  the  Revolutionary  records  of 
the  post  of  West  Point. 

From  tlie  time  De  Russy  was  relieved  from  the 
Military  Academy  till  the  l)eginuingof  the  Rebellion, 
he  was  in  charge  of  the  defenses  of  Hamilton 
Roads,  Va.  (  Forts  Monroe  and  ( 'alhoun ),  except  from 
1854  to  IS;-)"  while  fortifying  the  entrance  to  San 
Fi'ancisco  Bay,  C'al.  At  the  same  time  he  directed 
many  river  and  harbor  improvements  in  the  States 
of  Delaware  and  \'ii'ginia, ;  was  a  meml)er  of  various 
boards,  particularly  for  coast-defense  and  internal 
improvements;  and  from  Decendjer  22,  1858  to 
January  2,  181)1  was  in  command,  at  Washington, 
of  the  Cor])s  of  Engineers. 

After  the  Rebellion  he  wtiH  ordered  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, where  he  remained  till  he  died,  November  23, 


BUrO.-OKNKUAL    IlKXK     K.   DK  Rl'SSY. 


859 


lie 
i(»n, 

)ti)U 

San 
cted 
ates 
■ions 
null 
to 
;t(Hi, 


ISl)*),  lit  the  at^e  of  He\eiity-six,  lie  then  heinuj  the 
oldest  graduate  of  the  Military  Aeadeiny  in  aetive 
service;  the  senior  C/olonel  of  the  Corps  of  Kn- 
gineers;  an<l  a  J^revet  Hrigadiei'-Genei'al,  W  S. 
Army,  "for  long  and  faithful  service," 

(irenei'al  I)e  llussy  was  a  preii.r  chonOuv  of  the 
old  school  of  gentlemen  ;  always  aifal)le,  ever  refined, 
punctiliously  jtolite,  and  lavish  in  hos|)ita!ity,  as  the 
many  distinguished  persons  who  sat  at  his  board, 
among  them  th<*  Prince  de  Joinville  and  iiouis 
Napoleon,  can  testify.  Tie  was,  besides,  a  devoted 
husband,  a  tender  parent,  a  faithful  friend,  and  a 
ujost  loyal  soldier.  Major-Genei-al  llalleck,  com- 
manding the  Division  of  the  Pacific,  in  directing 
military  honors  to  })e  paid  to  his  memory,  concludes 
his  order  by  saving:  "Of  great  kindness  of  heart, 
and  ]H)ssessing  most  urbane  and  [)olished  manners, 
he  was  endeared  to  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  the 
surviving  graduates  of  the  jVIilitary  Academy  who 
were  educated  under  his  superintendence,  will 
cherish  his  memory  as  that  of  the  kindest  of  fathers. 
By  his  strict  integrity  in  the  expenditure  of  many 
millions  of  public  money,  his  faithful  discharge  of 
every  duty  of  office  and  of  life,  and  his  unsullied 
honor,  he  has  left  an  example  most  worthy  of  imita- 
tion." 


i 


Iran- 
23, 


360 


LIEI'TEXANT    GEOHGE    TKESCOT. 


LIEUTENANT  GEORGE  TRESCOT. 

1708-1827. 


George  TuEsncr  was  horn  in  Soutli  Carolina, 
from  wliicli  State  lie  was  appointed,  Mai'cli  11,  1818, 
a  Cadet  oi  tlie  Military  Academy,  wlien,  at  tliat  time 
tliere  were  few  pn[)ils  and  little  instruction.  Seven 
months  later,  October  1(>,  l8l.'{,  lie,  constitutinii^  his 
entire  class,  was  o-raduated  from  the  institution,  and 
immediately  ordered  to  join  Wilkinson's  army  on  the 
St.  Lawrence,  reachinij:  it  in  time  to  i)articipate  in 
the  battle  of  Chrysler's  Field,  X(»vemb(»r  11,  1813. 
When  the  army  went  into  winter  (piarters  at 
French  Mills,  he  assisted  in  fortifvinij;  the  camj>s  of 
the  Northern  xVrmy,  which,  subseipiently,  he  accom- 
panied to  Lake  Cham])laiii.  As  an  assistant  to 
Major  Totten,  he  was  eni>:ai>:ed  in  the  consti-rc^ion  of 
the  defenses  of  Cumbei'land  Head  and  I'lattsburi:;, 
taking  a  conspicuous  })art,  Se])tembei'  11,  1<S14,  in 
the  battle  at  the  latter  place,  iit  which  for  his  "o:al- 
lant  conduct "  he  was  bi-evetted  a  First  Lieutenant. 
After  this  battle,  he  accom[)anied  Major-iJeneral 
Izard  to  the  Niagara  fiontier. 

He  was  ])romoted,  February  t>,  ISIT),  to  be  a 
First  Lieutenant  of  I^igineei's;  in  IS  1(1,  was  ordered 
to  su[)erintend  the  repairs  of  the  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  Coast  Defenses;  in  ISlS,  became  an  Assist- 
ant Engineer  in  the  construction  of  the  (xulf  fortifi- 


LIEl  TENANT    HENRY    C.    STORY. 


361 


cations;    and   March   81,    1819,   resi<»;ne(l  from    the 
Ai'my. 

Becoming  now  a  rice  planter  on  Cooper  River, 
near  Charleston,  S.  C,  he  resided  there  till  M  '  12, 
1827,  when  he  died  at  Pine  Ridge,  St.  John's  Parish, 
S.  C. 


LIEUTENANT  HENRY  C.  STORY. 

18 1828. 


Henry  C.  Story,  brothei-  of  the  late  Justice 
Story  of  the  I'nited  States  Snpreme  Court,  was  ap- 
lK)inted  in  the  Army  from  Massacliusetts,  to  l)e  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant  in  the  Corps  of  Kngineers,  March  11, 
1814.  lie  was  attaclied  to  the  Company  of  Hom- 
l)ardiers.  Sappers  and  Miners,  with  wldch  he  served 
during  the  Cam[)aign  of  1814  on  the  Niagara  frontier, 
and,  for  his  galhint  conduct  in  the  Sortie  from  Fort 
Erie,  Lpper  Canada,  was  brevetted,  Se))teml)er  17, 
1814,  a  First  Lieutenant.  After  the  war  he  was 
engaged  in  various  engineer  duties ;  was  promoted, 
April  15, 181M,  to  a  full  First  Lieutenancy  ;  and  died, 
July  28,  1828. 


m 


CHAPTER  TENTH. 


JOURNAL 

OK    THE 

NORTHWESTERN  CAMPAIGN  OF  1812-13, 

UNDER 

MAJOR-GENERAL  WILLIAM  H.  HARRISON. 

BY 

B\T    LIEUT.-COLONEL  ELEAZER  D.  WOOD, 

Cai'tain  Gobi's  ok  Knoinf.eub,  U.  S.  Armv. 

Ma.tor-Gexeral  William  H.  Harrison,  having 
been  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Northwest- 
ern Army,  arrived  at  Upper  Sandusky  early  in  ,Ian- 
uary,  1818,  with  tw^o  brigades  of  militia,  under 
Brigadiers  Leftwieli  and  Crooks,  tlie  former  from 
Virginia  and  the  latter  from  Pennsylvania,  tosrether 
with  a  few  regulars  and  volunteers,  making  a  foive 
in  all  of  about  1,500  men.  These  troops  princi- 
pally constituted,  and  were  denominated,  the  right 
wing  of  the  Ai'niy.  The  object  in  raising  of  which, 
seemed  to  have  been  the  secui'ity  of  the  Northwest- 
ern frontier;  the  ex})ulsion  of  the  enemy  fi'om  the 
Michigan  Territory;  and  the  invasion  of  Uppei' 
C^anada,  the  Intter,  jKtrficuhirli/  for  tlie  ivduction  of 
Maiden.  These  inijiortant  (>l)jects,  if  attained  at 
all,  weiv  t(»  be  attaiiUMl  with  a  foi'ce  almost  entirely 
composed  of  raw  inilitl<i.  As  the  ofticei's  were  utterly 

3G2 


MA.T.-(JKN.   IIATJUISOn's    CAMPAIGX    OF    lfil2  13.      8(i.S 


igiioi'ant  of  tlu'ir<luty,  or  to  use  the  words  of  a  wortliy 
young  officer  in  seivice,  "  many  of  them  incapable 
of  learning  it,"  and  the  men  entirely  unaccustomed 
to  obedience  or  subordination,  it  became  necessary 
to  halt  the  army  a  few  days  at  this  ])hice  to  e([uip, 
and,  as  ^s  possi])le,   to  establish  some   little  sys- 

tem of  Ki.-.ci|>line.  A  halt  was  f^qually  necessary  to 
await  the  arriv^al  of  tlie  tiehl  batterino;  train  of  artil- 
lery  ;  the  hitter,  consisting  of  five  18-])ounders,  were 
re([uired  for  the  Siege  of  Maiden;  also  the'pi'ovis- 
ions,  foi'age  and  oinlnance  stores.  Everything  was 
done  by  the  (xenei'al  that  possibly  couhl  be  acccmi- 
plished  towards  establishing  subordination  and  dis- 
cipline among  the  troops;  but  men  who,  at  that 
inclement  season  of  the  year,  had  just  left  tlseii- 
comfortable  dwellings  to  endure  the  hardships  and 
[)rivations  incident  to  a  winter  campaign  in  the  wil- 
derness, were  not  to  be  made  soldiers  of  in    fifteen, 


or  even  twen 


tv  di 


ivs 


But 


IS  mucii  was  i'e(iun'e( 


every  human  exertion  must  be  made.  '  A  large  pro- 
portion of  the  troops  were  on  daily  duty,  in  buihl- 
ing  block-liouses  and  store-houses,  the  latter  to 
de[)osit  the  supplies  in,  an<l  the  f<»rmer  for  their  jm-o- 
tection  ;  in  fact,  the  as))ect  of  affairs  announced  the 
speedy  ap]M'oacli  of  that  state  of  pre])aration  neces- 
sary to  the  commencement  of  active  operations. 

Alxnit  the  I'Jth,  the  ai'tillery  came  into  camp, 
and  large  (juantities  <»f  every  kind  of  supplies  were 
constantly  arriving. 

At  Upper  San<lusky  was  established  the  [>rinci- 
j)al  depot  of  the  army.  'I'his  place  is  situated  on 
the  Sanduskv  River,  about  sixtv  miles  from  the  Lake, 


«56-4     lieut.-coloxp:l  e.  d.  wood's  jocunal  of 


forty  ahove  Lower  Sandusky,  thirty  from  Norton, 
and  seventy  from  the  lla])i(ls  of  tlie  Miami.  Tliese 
two  I'ivers,  tlie  Miami  and  Sandusky,  are  thirty-six 
miles  a})art,  and  tlie  country,  which  lies  between 
them,  is  almost  an  entire  marsh,  or  sunken  swamj) ; 
which,  on  account  of  its  beiniji:  miry  and  <ji:enerallv 
covered  with  an  immense  body  of  ^ater,  can 
scarcely  be  })assed  at  any  otlier  time  than  in  the 
summei"  or  middle  of  wintei",  after  its  waters  are 
sutHcIently  frozen  to  bear  the  travellei-.  Throuirli 
the  middle  of  this  marsh  runs  the  Portage  River, 
which,  like  an  a([ue(bict,  receives,  conveys  and  emp- 
ties its  waters  Into  Lake  Erie,  about  two  miles  west 
of  the  Sandusky  Bay.  The  Rapids  of  the  Miami 
are  about  ei<ji:hteen  miles  from  the  Lake,  sixtv  from 
Fort  AVayne,  and  thirty-six  from  the  lliver  Raisin, 
which  latter  place  is  oidy  eighteen  miles  from  the 
village  of  Bi'ownstown,  situated  o})posite  to  Am- 
herstbui'i]:,  and  twenty  miles  below  Detroit. 

Brig.-General  Winchester,  who  commanded  the 
left  wing  of  the  Army,  consisting  of  one  thousand 
Kentucky  Volunteers  and  the  Re<j:ulars,  had  been  di- 
rected  to  take  the  i-oute  of  Fort  Wayne;  as  well  for 
the  jnirpose  of  strengthening  that  [)lace,  as  to  con- 
struct blockhouses  and  stockades,  at  such  other 
points  as  he  might  deem  best  calculated  for  the  de- 
fense and  security  of  the  inhabitants  along  the 
frontier.  And  as  soon  as  the  pre])arations  of  the 
right  wing  should  be  found  sutticiently  matured  to 
enable  it  to  connnence  o]ierations  against  the  enemy, 
it  was  understood  that  lie  was  to  descend  the  Miami, 
and  the  two  corj)s  form  a  junction  nt  the  foot  of  the 


MA.r.-GEX.   IIARUISON's    campaign    ok    1812  13.      ^(]i) 


I'ton, 
'liese 
y-six 
ween 
im]> ; 
'vally 
,    can 
1   the 
■s  are 
rough 
[liver, 
enip- 
\vest 
Miami 
T  from 
Raisin, 
in  the 


msaiKl 
K^n  di- 
•11  for 
|(»  con- 
other 


lie 


)f  the 

Ired  to 

[nemy, 

^riami. 


()i 


liapids.  This  was  an  excellent  [)lan  ;  foi'  by  dividinii; 
the  troops  and  sending  them  ditt'erent  routes,  witli  a 
view  of  concentrating  somewliere  in  the  neighbor- 
liood  of  the  enemy,  the  operations  of  the  army  would 
not  only  be  facilitated,  ])ut  the  frontier  would  be 
more  effectually  })rotected. 

Parties  liad  been  sent  on  ahead  to  open  roads, 
bridge  creeks,  and  prepare  the  way  as  much  as  possi- 
ble for  tlie  army,  which  it  was  expected  wouhl  soon 
follow.  Tlie  artillery  liad  already  arrived  and  V)eeii 
sent  on  towards  the  Rapids ;  and  time,  patience, 
perseverance  and  fortitude,  seemed  only  ner-essary  to 
enable  the  army  to  surmount  the  numerous  obstacles, 
which  nature  alone  had  raised  to  its  future  glorv. 

General  Perkins,  with  five  or  six  hundred  Ohio 
militia,  was  at  Lower  Sanduskv,  where  he  had  been 
stationed  some  time  for  the  immediate  protection  of 
tlie  inhal)itants  alono-  the  maro;in  of  the  Lake ;  and 
General  Tupper,  with  about  as  many  more  militia, 
was  somewhere  in  the  B'ack  Swamp  (such  is  denomi- 
nated that  ])art  of  the  country  lying  between 
Upper  Sandusky  anil  the  Rapids),  west  of  the  route 
from  Upper  Sam lusky  to  the  IVliami ;  no  one  could 
tell  exactly  where.  This  latter  named  General  had 
S(mietime  ju'eviously  been  sent  on  an  exjiedition 
against  the  Lidians  who  were  then  lying  ()p[)osite  to 
th3  Rapids,  and  by  whom  he  was  readily  met  and 
compelled  to  fall  ])ack.  This  affair  was  not  thought 
altogether  honoial)le  to  the  Geiie»'al ;  however,  his 
conduct  afterwards  underwent  an  investigation,  and 
was  approved  by  the  C(Hiimanding-General. 

About    the   luth    of   January    intelligence    was 


i|W^ 


366       LIEUT.-COLDXEL    K.   I).   WOOD's    JOUHXAL    OB^ 


l)rou<i;lit  to  camp  that  Oeiieral  Wiiu'liester  liad 
already  arrived  at  the  Ra[)i(ls,  aiul  that  he  intended 
advancing  immediately  to  the  lliver  Raisin.  This 
news,  for  a  moment,  })aralyzed  the  army  ;  or  at  least 
the  rejecting  part  of  it.  (reneral  Harrison  was 
astonished  at  the  impi-ndence  and  inconsistency  of 
snch  a  step,  whicli,  if  carried  into  effect,  could  he 
viewed  in  no  other  light  than  as  attended  with  inev- 
italde  destruction  to  the  coi'ps.  Noi'  was  it  a  diffi- 
cult mattei-  foi-  a  man  entii'ely  destitute  of  theory  or 
a  knowledii'e  in  the  art  of  war,  to  forsee  the  terri- 
ble  conse(piences  which  were  certain  ^o  mark  the 
result  of  a  .sc/ieine,  no  /e.y.v  rd^li  in  it>>  conception^  titan 
humi'doux  in  its  cjcecution. 

But  wdiat  human  means  within  the  control  of 
the  (Jeneral,  could  prevent  the  anticipated  disaster 
from  taking  place,  and  save  the  left  wing  of  the 
army,  which  was  already  looked  upon  as  destined 
for  destruction  i  Certainly  none  ;  because  neither 
orders  nor  troops  could  reach  him  in  time.  Besides, 
he  was  already  in  motion,  and  General  Harrison  still 
at  Upi)er  Sandusky,  seventy  miles  in  his  rear;  the 
Aveather  inclement,  the  snow  dee[),  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  l^lack  Swamp  yet  open.  What  could 
a  Turenne  or  an  Eugene  have  done,  under  such  a 
pressure  of  end)arrassing  circumstances,  more  than 
Harrison  did  i  He  directed  (Jeneral  Leftwich  to  [)ut 
his  brigade  in  motion  for  the  Rapids  ;  mounted  his 
horse  and  started  for  Lower  Sandusky,  whence  he 
took  a  part  of  (leneral  Perkins'  brigade,  and  pushed 
with  all  ])ossible  expedition  for  the  River  Raisin. 

General  Proctor  had  posted  a  small  party  ut  the 


4ie^ 


MA.T.-GEN.  IIAUHISOn's    CAMPAKIX    OF    1812-13.      3f)7 


ol   of 
master 
f  the 
tilled 
itlier 
ddes, 
11  still 
;  tlie 
r;i}>le 
onkl 
oh  a 
than 
)  put 
I  his 
e  he 
shed 
n. 
the 


River  Raisin  to  wateli  our  luotious,  and  eo-o[)erate 
witli  tlie  Indians  in  their  predatory  incursions  upon 
our  frontier. 

General  Winchester  arrived  at  the  River  Raisin 
and  attacked  this  pic(piet  on  the  isth  of  January; 
a  few  were  killed,  some  prisoners  were  taken  and 
the  rest  di'iven  oft'.  Thus  had  the  left  wing,  become 
the  van,  fought  a  battle,  gained  a  victory,  covered 
itself  with  glory  ;  and  all  at  a  veiy  little  expense  too. 
But  the  temerity  of  an  insult,  thus  oft'ered  in  the 
very  teeth  of  the  enemy,  was  not  long  to  go  unpun- 
ished;  and  the  very  authors  of  it  were  the  ill  fated 
creatures  who  were  to  receive  the  chastisement  due 
to  the  folly  and  rashness  of  their  conduct.  How- 
ever, elated  with  this  flush  of  success,  the  troops 
were  permitted  to  select  for  themselves  such  (piar- 
ters  as  pleased  and  suited  them  best  in  the  village 
on  tlie  west  side  of  the  river,  whilst  the  General 
posted  himself  on  the  east.  Not  the  least  regard 
was  paid  to  order  or  regulai'ity  in  the  (juartering  of 
the  men.  No  fortifications  were  erected  nor  any 
information  obtained  of  the  enemy,  or  what  he  was 
about,  although  .»ut  twenty  miles  distant. 

Haviiiii:  obtained  the  necessary  information  oi  the 
strength  and  manner  in  which  General  Winchester's 
corps  was  (piartered  (for  it  was  not  encamped),  on 
the  morning  of  the  2 2d  of  January,  at  break  (^f  day, 
the  enemy  approached  and  commenced  a  most  furi- 
ous attack  upon  the  right  ^vitll  cannon  and  mus- 
ketry, whilst  the  Indians  advanced  upon  the  ice  in 
the  rear,  and  separated  at  once  the  General  from  liis 
troops,  of  which   he  was  never  able  afterwards  to 


368       LIEUT.-COLONEL    E.    D.   WOOd's    JOURNAT.    OF 


take  comnijuul,  nor  to  join  until  lie  met  with  them 
ill  captivity. 

Tlie  troops  on  tlie  right,  which  were  tirst  at- 
tacked, attempted  to  change  their  positicm,  in  doing 
whicli  tliey  were  thro^vn  into  confusion,  and  mostly 
very  soon  captui-ed  ;  tlie  left,  consisting  of  about 
500  men  under  Major  Madison,  conducted  much 
better;  they  were  posted  behind  scmie  old  ])ickets, 
which  served  them  as  a  breastwork,  and  which 
enabled  them  to  maintain  tlieii-  position  till  10  or 
11  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  ;  when,  having  entirely 
exhausted  theii-  ammunition,  they  were  compelled 
to  lay  down  their  arms  and  submit  to  the  iitdhj- 
iiltiex  of  an  KikjUxIiiikiii,  and  the  criu-Jti(f<  of  a 
Saiuu/e. 

The  enemy  suffered  much  on  this  occasion;  and 
perhaps,  may  with  propriety,  be  said  to  have  paid 
dear  for  the  laurels  of  the  22(1  of  January,  which,  by 
the  inhuman  and  barbarous  treatment  of  his  prison- 
ers, were  withered  on  his  brow,  ere  lie  could  leave 
the  crimsoned  plain  on  which  they  seemed  untimely 
gathered. 

How  many  of  our  troops  were  killed  and  wound- 
ed in  this  engagement,  has  never  been  correctly  as- 
certained ;  but  the  loss  is  supposed  to  have  been 
very  great,  for  the  number  in  battle.  The  dead 
were  left  lying  as  they  fell,  and  ha\e  never  been 
buried  to  this  day;  and  such  of  the  wounded  as 
were  not  tomahawked  upon  the  field,  were  put  into 
houses  and  Indians  furnished  as  attendants ;  who, 
on  receiving  a  large  (piantity  of  whiskey  from  (xen- 
eral  Proctor,  as  a  sign  of  approbation,  set  fire  to  the 


MAJ.-»iKN.    IIAIMMSON's    CAMI'ArfiX    OF      1812-13.      369 


whole  of  tliein,  and  in  one  volume  of  Hame,  sent 
theii'  contents  jill  to  lieiiven  ! 

Tims  were  these,  a  corjKs  of  1,000  men  (the  elite 
of  the  army  too)  sacrificed  in  the  most  wanton,  and 
re|»i-ehensil)le  mannei-,  and  that  too,  without  the 
least  benefit  to  themselves,  to  their  countiy,  or  to 
tlieir  ]K)sterity.  With  only  one-thii-d  of  tlie  army, 
entirely  destitute  of  artillei-y,  of  engineers,  and  with 
l>ut  a  very  inade(|uate  supply  of  musket  ammuni- 
tion, wliat  I'iii'lit  had  General  AVincliester  to  believe 
that  lie  could  o])))ose,  successfully,  the  coml)ined 
British  and  Indian  forces  at  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Mahlen  {  to  say  nothiuij!;  about  his  advancing  with- 
out orders.  Until  a  general  has  a  bettei'  claim  to 
victory  than  (ieneral  Winchester  had  at  the  River 
Raisin,  lie  will  be  eternally  beaten,  whether  he 
expects  it  or  not ;  and,  what  is  more,  etermilly  ought 
to  be. 

(xeiieral  Harrison  was  unable  to  get  fartlier  than 
the  Miami  Rapids,  before  he  had  the  pain  and  mor- 
tification to  meet  the  fugitives  flying  from  the  tragi- 
cal scenes  of  the  River  Raisin.  General  Harrison 
imnie<liately  fell  back  upon  the  Portage  River,  a 
distance  of  fifteen  miles,  as  well  for  the  purpose  of 
covering  tlie  artillery,  then  in  the  swamp,  as  to  meet 
the  re-enforcements,  Avhich  were  already  far  advanced 
from  Up[)er  Sandusk\',  on  tlieir  way  to  the  Rai)ids. 
This  |)ositioii  was  taken  about  the  24th  of  January, 
and  maintained  till  the  1st  of  February,  when  the 
artillery  and  re-enforcements  having  arrived,  the 
army  again  returned  to  the  Miami,  and  was  en- 
camped ii[)oii  a  beautiful  ridge  near  the  foot  of  the 


r 

1 

1 

i 
t- 

i 

j 

i 

( 

1 

1 

370       LIEIT.-COLONKL    K.    D.    WOOl/s    JOFUNAL    OF 

Ruplds,  on  tlic  i'iii;lit  hunk  of  the  river,  iiiul  alxmt 
150  yards  distant  from  it.  Tlie  camp  was  situated 
two  and  a  lialf  miles  al)ove  old  Fort  Miami,  and 
directly  opposite  the  i^round  on  whicli  old  Anthony 
Wayne  gave  the  Indians  sucli  a  di-id»l)inn-  in  'l>4. 
It  was  judiciously  chosen  l)y  (leneral  Harrison  and 
C^aptain  C'.  Gratiot  of  tlie  Kngineers,  and  afterwards 
fortitied  with  blockdiouses,  batteries  and  palisadoes, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  stand  the  test  of  British 
artillery  for  five  days,  closely  a[)plied.  But  this 
must  be  s[)oken  of  in  its  pi'()[)er  [)lace. 

Here  the  army  lay  with  its  rear  to  tlie  river,  be- 
ing covered  by  a  considerable  ravine  in  front,  wliich 
extended  round,  and  commuiucated  with  anothei- 
very  deep  and  wide  one,  which  passed  the  left,  and 
entirely  secui'ed  it. 

A  tine  train  of  artillery  (which  always  gives  con- 
fidence to  troops),  consisting  of  five  l<S-pounders,  six 
12-pounders,  six  H-pounders  and  tliree  howitzers,  to- 
gether with  a  small  supply  of  ammunition  having 
arrived  in  camp,  the  countenance  of  the  army  began 
very  mucli  to  brighten,  and  the  late  shock  at  the 
River  Kaisin  seemed  in  some  measure  to  be  forgotten. 

General  Tupper,  having  found  himself,  and 
arrived  in  camp,  our  number  of  troo])s  amounted  to 
about  2,000  or  upwards  ;  and  General  Crooks,  who 
had  been  left  at  U[)per  Sandusky  with  600  or  Too 
men  for  tlie  purpose  of  completing  a  stockade,  had 
not  yet  made  his  a])pearance.  It  was  now  about 
the  10th  or  12th  of  Februaiy,  when  a  rumor  was 
spread  through  camp  that  a  great  council  was  then 
in  session,  and  that  the  subject  of  deliberation  was, 


>rA.I,-(li:N.   lIAKUfSOX's    ("AMI»ArOX    OF    1812  13.      371 


Avlu'tlicr  or  no  jirrangeiiuMits  slioiild  not  \>e  inmle  im- 
iiKMliately  foi'tlie  jiniiy  to  advniice  jiii'ulnst  the  (Mieiny. 
'i'liat  such  a  council  did  sit  is  a  fact,  and  that  it  was 
decided  tliat  the  ai-iiiv  slioidd  not,  or  was  not  in  a 
situation  t(»ad\ance,  is  also  a  fact,  for  althougli  the 
writer  was  not  one  of  tlie  council,  vet  he  received 
his  information  fi'oin  a  source  which  could  not  he 
doul)ted. 

It  was  shortly  afterwards  directed  l)y  the  (ienei'al 
that  a  canip  for  l\(I(»o  men  should  be  laid  out  and 
strongly  fortified;  and  that  this  work  might  ])e  in  u 
state  of  j)i'ogression,  the  lines  of  the  camp  were  im- 
mediately designated,  and  a  large  ooi'tion  of  labor 
assigned  among  every  corps  or  regiment  in  tlie  army. 
Each  Brigade  or  Regiment  commenced  that  par- 
ticulai'  portion  of  woi'k  which  was  assigned  it,  with 
great  vigor  and  s|)irit. 

The  cam])  was  about  'i,')!)!)  yards  in  circumfer- 
ence, winch  distance,  with  the  exception  of  several 
small  intei'vals,  left  for  block-houses  and  batteries, 
was  every  foot  to  be  j)icketed  with  timber,  15  feet 
long,  from  lU  to  1  L^  inches  in  diameter,  and  set  8  feet 
round.     Such  were  the  instructions  of  the  en- 


s' 


giiuer.  To  complete  this  picketing,  to  put  u]>  eight 
block-houses  (the  number  recpiired)  of  double  tim- 
ber, to  elevate  four  lai'ge  batteries,  to  build  all  the 
store  houses  and  magazines  reipiired  for  the  supplies 
of  the  armv,  toiivther  with  the  ordinarv  fatiifues  of 
the  camp,  was  an  undertaking  of  no  small  magni- 
tude. Besides,  an  immense  deal  of  labor  was  to  be 
j)erformed  in  excavating  ditches,  making  abatis,  and 
clearing  away  the  wood  about  camp,  and  all  this  to 


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372       LIEfTT.-COLONEL    E.    I>.   WOOD's    JOURNAL    OF 


be  (lone  too,  at  a  time  when  the  weather  was  ex- 
tremely Revere,  and  the  ground  ho  hai'd  frozen,  tliat 
it  was  ahnost  impossible  to  open  it  with  a  spade  and 
})ick-axe.  But  in  the  use  of  the  axe,  mattock  and 
spade,  consisted  all  the  military  knowledge  of  the 
army.  So  we  fell  to  work  to  biuy  ourselves  as  fast 
as  possible,  and  heard  nothing  of  the  enemy.  The 
army  was  tolerably  healthy,  and  well  provided  with 
bread  and  meat ;  for  the  woods  were  literally  alive 
with  beeves,  hogs,  and  pack  horses  loadetl  with 
flour. 

Somewdiere  about  the  loth  of  Februarv,  intel- 
ligence  was  brought  the  General  that  a  party  of 
Indians  were  still  lurkincj  near  the  mouth  »>f  the 
river,  at  a  small  cluster  of  Indian  huts,  called  Pres«jue 
Isle.  A  party  of  spies  (for  at  this  time  these  were 
the  greatest  characters  in  the  army),  were  imme- 
diately despatched  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  get 
all  possible  information  relative  to  the  strength  and 
position  of  this  impudent  foe,  and  after  l>eing  absent 
one  day  and  a  part  of  a  night,  returned  and  reported 
that,  from  what  they  could  discover  without  giving 
the  alarm  (of  which  they  were  generally  very  cau- 
tious), they  were  induced  to  believe  the  enemy  con- 
sisted of  about  one  or  two  hundred.  (There  might 
have  been  perhaps  five  orsix.)  An  expedition  of  1,10(» 
men  was  ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  march  the 
following  night  against  those  demons  of  the  wood. 
The  plan  and  order  of  march  was  thus: — Brig.-Gen- 
eral  Perkins,  with  600  men  formed  in  column  by 
compani-^s,  at  entire  distances,  and  marching  by  the 
left,  was  to  leave  camj)  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening 


MA.r.-oEN.  Harrison's  campaion  of  I812-13.    373 


and  move  <lown  the  river  on  the  ice ;  at  half-past 
eii^ht,  General  Tiipper,  with  500  men  formed  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  preceding  corps,  was  to  follow; 
and  General  Harrison  to  c(miinand  the  whole.  Every 
necessary  arrangement  having  been  made,  the  night 
arrived,  and  the  trooj)s  under  General  Perivins  were 
]mt  in  motion,  agreeably  to  orders  ;  and  half  an  hour 
after,  they  were  followed  by  General  Tupper  who 
was  accompanied  l)y  General  Harrison  and  staff. 
On  arriving  within  four  or  live  miles  of  tlie  destined 
place,  a  halt  of  the  front  was  ordered  to  give  time  to 
the  I'ear  to  come  uj),  and  to  await  the  return  of  tlie 
spies  who  had  been  sent  ahead  to  gain  further  infoi"- 
mation  of  the  enemy ;  but  as  they  did  not  return  so 
soon  as  was  expected,  the  rear  having  come  up,  it 
was  determined  to  advance;  so  we  moved  on  within 
one  or  two  miles  of  Pres<pie  Isle,  when  the  sjties  were 
met,  and  informed  that  the  ejiemy  had  burnt  a  part 
of  the  houses,  taken  their  cattle  and  horses,  and  gone 
on  to  the  River  Raisin.  This  was  a  monstrous  dis- 
ap})ointment  indeed;  however,  all  hopes  of  meeting 
with  the  enemy  were  not  vet  tied,  as  the  General, 
after  a  short  halt,  gave  directions  for  the  troops  to 
be  again  j>ut  in  motion  for  the  River  Raisin,  in  lio[)es 
of  coming  up  with  the  Indians  at  that  j)lace.  The 
night  was  light,  moderately  cold,  and  there  was  a 
little  snow  ui)on  the  ice,  which  enabled  us  to  dis- 
cover and  follow  the  ti'ail  of  the  enemy.  After  [pro- 
ceeding six  miles  further  it  was  found  that  the  men 
were  generally  very  much  fatigued,  and  that  many 
<)f  them  had  actually  given  out,  and  were  not  able 
to  march  a  step  further  without  refreshment   and 


374       LIEI'T.-COLONKL    K.    1).    WooiVs    JOITRXAL    OK 


iMi' 


if-  i 

us; 


rest.  For  thiw  piir[)ose,  the  army  was  again  lialted 
upon  a  small  island,  and  tires  over  the  whole  of  it 
were  instantly  bnilt.  Here  we  lav  till  eii^ht  the 
next  mornini'',  when  a  j)oor  Canadian  citizen  livin<r 
near  the  Ki^  er  Raisin,  havinir  heen  taken  a  prisoner 
by  a  party  that  went  on  ahead,  and  })rought  in  to  the 
General,  informed  him  that  the  Indians  we  were  in 
pursuit  of  had  already  arrived  at  the  Hivei-  Haisin, 
and  gone  to  Maiden. 

The  expedition  was  therefore  abandoned,  and 
the  troops  ordered  back  to  camp,  where  they  arrived, 
very  much  worried  and  fatigued,  at  about  4  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  after  having  performed  a  march  of 
forty-eight  miles  in  twenty-four  hours.  On  this 
occasion  "the  mountain  had  brought  forth  a  mouse," 
and  I  thought  oui'  spies  desi  rral  to  he  well  scoHnffd. 

The  weather  being  severe,  and  the  ground  in 
many  places,  where  the  men  had  to  work,  extremely 
wet  and  bad,  the  lines  of  defense  naturally  pro- 
gressed but  slowly.  Xo  event  of  any  importanci^ 
occurred  for  some  time.  Small  pai'ties  which  were 
almost  constantly  passing  between  the  different 
posts,  were  not  unfre<juently  attacked  by  the  In- 
dians, though  usually  but  little  damage  was  done.  It 
was  not  unconunon  for  the  enemy  to  be  about  the 
camp  at  night,  but  probably  his  ])resence  was  more 
frequently  imagined  by  the  sentinels,  than  real,  ior 
scarcely  a  night  passed  without  one,  two  (^r  three 
alarms,  and  the  army  as  often  turned  out  under 
arras.  The  practice  of  turning  the  troops  out  be- 
cause a  frightened  sentinel  happens  to  hear  a  rust- 
ling in  the  ])ushes,  or  a  l)ug  fly  over  his  hea<l,  is  one 


MAJ.-(iKN.   HAKKISON's    (AMPAK.X    OF    1812-13.      875 


of  tlie  most  nhsiinl  j)mcti('es  tliat  ever  entered  into 
the  head  of  a  general,  and  i«  no  less  destructive  to 
an  army  tlian  an  ejndemie  among  the  trooj)s.  Vain 
and  unnecessary  alarms  were  never  known  in  tlie 
Camps  of  Coiido,  nor  will  they  ever  be  made 
within  any  cam])  where  the  general  correctly  under- 
stands and  pei-forms  his  duty. 

About  the  2(>th,  (xeneral  Crooks  (not  a  man  of 
books),  who  had  been  left  to  complete  the  stocka<le 
at  lJpj)er  Sandusky,  having  tinished  that  duty  had 
been  ordered  on  to  head<iuarters,  an<l  arrived  at  a 
Hme  when  the  sei'vices  of  his  men  were  very  mucli 
wanted  indeed. 

A  plan  was  now  set  afoot  for  the  burning  of  tlie 
Queen  Charlotte,  a  British  vessel  then  lying  by  the 
wharf  at  Andici'stbuigh,  inniudidtely  vmler  flu-  (/uns 
of  Midden.  Hut  tlmt  nntde  n<i  d'l^'t  rence, — xhe  n'Os  to 
he  hunit.  To  carry  this  enterprise  into  execution, 
Captain  Langham,  a  very  gallant  otticer,  was  selected 
with  one  hundred  men;  Maj<n-  Stoddard  of  the 
artillery,  and  Ca})tain  Wood  of  the  Kngineei"s,  were 
directed  to  prei)are  suitable  combustibles  for  the 
destruction  of  the  unfortunate  Queen ;  to  prevent 
distortion  of  featui'es,  ami  to  preserve  her  beauty  to 
the  hist  moment,  it  was  determined  not  to  administer 
this  inflammable  dose  by  her  head  but  by  her  tail — 
or  stern. 

Everything  preparatory  to  the  enterprise  having 
been  rejxn'ted  ready,  the  forlorn  hoi>e  (if  there  ever 
wavS  one)  was  paraded;  the  (xeneral  made  a  few  ob- 
servations to  them,  setting  forth  the  dauntless 
courage  of   their  C'oniniander,   and    the    imj«)i-tant 


37fi       LIEUT.-COLONEL    K.    D.   WOOD's   JOrRPfAL    OF 


itli 


national  advantages  which  must  certainly  result  from 
the  destruction  of  this  Lady  of  the  Lake ;  when, 
having  finished,  Captain  L.  put  himself  at  the  head 
of  his  paitv  and  moved  oif  by  the  way  of  Lowei- 
Sandusky  for  Maiden.  Sleighs  were  got  at  Lower 
Sandusky  in  which  the  party  jtroceeded  to  Put- 
in-Bay, where  they  discovered  that  the  lake  was 
quite  open  between  them  and  Amherst}>urgh,  and 
that  it  was  utterly  impossil>le  for  the  object  of  tlie 
exi)edition  to  be  accom|)Iished  ;  so,  after  being  absent 
several  days,  they  steered  for  the  mouth  of  the  Miami, 
and  arrived  at  camp  on  tlie  oth  of  March.  Tlius 
did  tlie  co([uettisli  Queen  disappoint  an  drdiiit  and 
Huwere  lover,  reserving  her  .s7////f.v  and  ch^innx  ft)r  the 
more  fortunate  and  ijalhint  Perrv. 

()nthe4th,  (.'aptain  E.  I).  Wo<Klof  the  Kngineers 
was  sent,  by  way  of  tlie  lake  to  Lower  Sandusky, 
with  directions  to  assume  the  conunand  of  the 
garrison  and  to  s])end  ten  or  fifteen  days  in  construct- 
ing such  additional  wcn'ks  as  in  his  opinion  might  be 
found  necessary  for  the  security  of  the  l\)st,  and  to 
save  it  from  falling  an  easy  prey  should  the  enemy 
think  its  reduction  an  object  worthv  of  his  notice  ; 
then  to  return  to  tlie  llapids. 

As  the  presence  of  General  Harrison  was  no 
h>nger  particularly  re([uireil,  he  gave  the  necessaiy 
instructions  to  (ireneral  Leftwich  relative  to  the  im- 
portance of  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  lines  of 
defense,  and,  on  the  Hth,  left  camp  f<>r  Chillicothe. 
This  became  necessarv%  as  well  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  su[)plying  the  ai-my,  as  to  take  seasonable 
nieasures  for  getting  on  a  re-enforcement  of  militia, 


MA.J.-<JP:X.   HAUltlSOX's    ("AMI'AKiX    OF    1812-13.      'M7 


to  fill  the  places  of  the  Virginia  and  Pemisylvauia 
militia  whose  tei'iiis  of  service  would  expire,  the 
former  on  the  2nd  and  the  latter  on  the  Gth  of  April, 
leaving  (unless  re-enforced)  not  more  than  OOO  or 
700  men  to  gai'ris(Hi  and  defend  the  camj)  at  the 
Rapid s.  And  as  there  were  many  sick  and  unable 
to  pei'form  their  duty,  it  was  probable  that  not  to 
exceed  400  or  500  would  by  the  first  of  April,  be 
found  capable  of  rendering  the  least  assistance. 

General  Harrison  foresaw  the  lamentable  situa- 
tion in  which  the  army  was  likely  to  be  placed,  and 
in  conse(pience  of  the  ebbing  and  flowing  of  the 
militia,  endeavored  to  be  as  well  prepared  to  meet 
the  event  as  possible.  The  two  brigades  of  Ohio 
militia,  under  Perkins  and  Tupper,  were  already 
discharged  and  gone  home,  and  it  was  generally  be- 
lieved in  camp  that  not  one,  of  either  the  \'ii'ginia 
or  Pennsylvania  militia  could  be  prevailed  on  to 
remain  a  single  day  after  the  expiration  of  their 
legal  tour  of  duty  ;  but  to  the  immortal  honor  of 
the  latter,  in  this  belief  we  were  hai)pily  disap- 
pointed. For,  on  the  6tli  of  April,  finding  that  we 
were  threatened  with  an  immediate  attack,  and  that 
the  Virginians  to  a  man,  and  to  their  eternal  dis- 
grace, had  gone  home,  their  (leneral  the  first  to  set 
the  example,  and  that  no  re-enforcements  had  yet 
arrived,  150  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops  very  hand- 
somely volunteered  their  services  to  remain  fifteen 
days,  or  even  longer  in  case  that  re-enforcements  should 
not  arrive  in  the  mean  time.  Finding  that  it  would  be 
impossible,  from  the  badness  of  the  roads  and  the 
tardiness  of  the  militia,  to  get  the  new  draft  from 


jjniM  iTitii 


m 


.'^78        LIKl"r.-("(»M)NKL    K.    I),   wood's    .lOlRNAI.    OF" 


Pi 

i;; 


V.sl 


1: 

hi'- 

VJt». 


'  1 ;  i 


Kentucky  <>n  to  Camp  Meij^s  l)y  the  1st  or  even  tin* 
middle  of  April,  General  Harrison  had  very  wiselv 
written  to  I^rigadiers  Leftwich  and  C^-ooks  desirin*; 
tliem  to  use  every  honoi'ahle  means  to  induce  a  part 
of  their  men  to  remain  a  few  weeks  after  tlieir  term 
of  sei'vice  should  have  expired;  and  stated  to  those 
Generals  the  dreadful  conse«pieneesthat  were  likely  to 
attend  their  leavingthecamp  with  all  their  men  before 
other  troops  should  arrive  to  till  their  places;  and 
that,  in  the  event  of  the  camp  fallinuj  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  the  disaster  in  a  i»;reat  measure  would 
be  attributed  to  them.  But  all  availed  nothinir 
with  Leftwich — nothiuir  could  excite  his  feelings 
nor  anmse  his  patriotism,  for  he  was  as  destitute  of 
both  (except  where  his  interest  was  concerned)  as  a 
Dutchman  is  of  i^enius  and  vivacity.  The  "Jd  of 
April  ari'ived,  and  away  went  every  Virginian  be- 
longing to  the  drafted  militia,  without  the  least  con- 
cern as  to  what  became  of  those  they  left  behind,  or 
caring  whether  the  enemy  oi'  ourselves  Avere  in  ])(»s- 
session  of  the  camp,  so  long  as  they  could  escape 
from  the  defense  of  it. 

The  conduct  of  General  Leftwich  on  this  occa- 
sion was  highly  rej)rehensible  indeed,  for  notwith- 
standing he  had  received  ex])ress  directions  to  pros- 
ecute the  lines  of  defense  with  all  possible  vigoi-, 
and  to  place  the  camp  in  the  best  possible  situation 
to  sustain  a  siege,  which  it  was  almost  certain  sooner 
or  later  it  would  have  to  undergo,  and  evidences  <»f 
which  became  more  apparent  everyday;  yet  this 
phlegmatic,  stupid  old  granny,  so  soon  as  General 
Harrison   left  camp,    stopped    the   progress  of   the 


MA.r.-OKN.   irARKISOx's    CAMPAION    OF    1812  13.      379 


1  the 
iscly 
irin'j; 
])iirt 
term 
:h(>st' 
-lyto 
efor*' 
;  and 
lands 
voiild 
fthin*; 
eliiiiis 
lite  of 
^  as  a 
•Jd   of 
n   be- 


lt eon- 


n« 


I,  or 


works  entirely,  assignini;  as  a  reason  tliat  lie  couldn't 
make  the  militia  do  anything,  and  therefore  they 
mifi^ht  as  well  ])e  in  their  tents,  as  to  be  kept  out  in 
the  mud  and  water,  and  accordinjjcly  were  gratified. 
So  far  from  inijU'oving  the  works  they  were  permit- 
ted to  burn  the  timber,  which  had  been  lu'ought 
into  camp  with  an  immense  deal  of  la}>or,  for 
pickets  and  block-houses;  not  only  did  they  burn 
this  timber,  but  on  the  20t]i  of  March,  when  Cap- 
tain Wood  returned  from  Lower  Sandusky,  he  had 
the  pain  and  mortification  to  find  several  of  the  men 
actually  em})loyed  in  jtulling  the  pickets  out  of  the 
gnnind,  and  conveying  them  ott'  for  fuel.  On  ask- 
ing tlieni  who  gave  permission  for  tlie  picketing  to 
be  taken  down  and  carried  off  in  that  manner,  he 
was  informed  that  no  body  gave  permission,  but 
that  it  was  a  common  thing  for  each  mess  to  take 
wliat  thev  wanted  and  nothini;  was  said  aV)out  it. 
\V  as  not  this  most  per[)lexing  and  vexatious  indeed 
to  an  officer  the  least  aciiuainted  with  our  situation, 
and  particularly  to  one  inti'usted  with  the  impoi'tant 
duty  of  planning  and  fortifying  the  canij),  and  on 
the  success  of  which,  in  the  event  of  a  siege,  his  honor 
and  rejmtation  entirely  depended  i  Ca|)tains  Croghan, 
Bradford  and  Langham  of  the  17th  and  19th  regu- 
lars had  remonstrated  in  the  strongest  terms  against 
such  an  alxnninable  and  wanton  destruction  of  work 
which  had  been  ei'ected  with  so  much  lalior  and 
trouble ;  and  on  which,  they  foresaw,  depended  in 
a  great  measure  the  future  salvation  of  the  army, 
but  all  to  no  pur])ose.  Captain  Wood  found  great 
♦liiticulty  in  sto])ping  the  militia  from  destroying  his 


380       LIEUT.-rOLONKL    E.    D.   WOOn's    JOIIUXAL    OF 


works,  hut  niiicli  greatei-  in  gettini;  tlieni  to  n»[)uir 
tlie  breaches  and  depredations  already  made  and 
connnitted  on  tlie  lines. 

Alxuit  this  time,  near  the  end  of  Maich,  the 
Indians  were  getting  to  be  (juite  troublesome  I'ound 
the  eamp ;  no  pai'ty  could  be  sent  out  after  fuel, 
tind)er,  oi*  anything  else  witliout  being  tired  on,  and 
frecjuently  one  or  two  persons  killed,  and  as  many 
more  taken  prisoners.  The  militia  officers  as  well  as 
men  were  frequently  in  the  habit  of  ci'ossing  the 
river  without  arms,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the 
remains  of  old  Fort  Miami,  and  prowling  about  to 
gratify  a  vain  and  foolish  curiosity,  until  at  length  a 
thick-headed  Pennsylvania  Lieutenant  with  two  or 
three  men  went  to  see  this  famous  ohl  work,  1)ut  no 
sooner  were  they  well  engaged  in  examining  it,  than 
a  i)arty  of  Indians,  who  were  lying  in  the  bushes  at- 
tentive to  their  duty,  fired  and  killed  the  Lieutenant 
and  wounded  two  or  three  of  the  men  ;  l>ut  not  so 
badly  but  wliat  they  were  able  to  effect  their  escaj)e. 
The  Lieutenant  was  scalped — and  I  thought  he  de- 
served it.  (^n  this  occasion  a  man's  ivligion  saved 
his  life — or  rather  a  Psalm  Hook  which  was  in  his 
pocket,  and  wliicli  saved  his  side  from  being  pene- 
trated with  a  ball.  This  was  a  wonderful  escape 
indeed — when  I  tii'st  heard  of  it,  the  idea  of  a  man's 
havini;  reliijion  somewhere  about  him,  even  if  it  was 
in  his  pocket,  struck  me  very  forcibly. 

Scmie where  al)out  the  26th  or  28th  of  March  a 
party  consisting  of  three  citizens  came  through  from 
Detroit  and  informed  us  that  (xeneral  Proctor  had 
issued  a  proclamation  dire    i  .^  all  the  militia  in  the 


MA.T.-OKN.   ItAURISON's    PAMPAIOX    OF    1812-13,      381 


vifiuity  of  Maiden,  and  u[K>n  the  rivt'i'  Detroit  to  as- 
senil>le  ut  Saiidwicli  on  tlie  7th  of  April,  for  tlie  pur- 
pose, it  was  well  understood,  of  aiding  \v.  an  expedi- 
tion to  be  carried  into  effect  ajj^ainst  Camp  ^^eil»:s. 
One  of  the  [)ei"sons,  a  man  l>y  the  mime  of  Bucknel, 
a  I'espectahle  inhabitant  of  Detroit,  stated  that  he 
liad  often  been  in  comp'^ny  with  Major  Meui',  and 
tliat  while  in  liis  company  had  lieard  him  describe 
the  j>lan  of  attack  that  was  to  be  pursued  in  case 
Cieneral  Proctor  went  to  the  rapids,  and  the  success 
of  which  enter[)"ise  he  obsei'ved  could  not  l)e 
(lou])ted  a  nKnneiit.  The  principal  plan  of  attack 
was  as  follows : — On  arriving  before  the  camp,  the 
Indians  were  to  be  immediately  thrown  into  our 
rear,  or  rather  they  were  to  invest  tlie  camp,  and  cut 
off  at  once  all  communication,  while  the  troops  were 
to  be  employed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  in 
pre[)aring  the  batteries  and  mounting  the  guns  to 
cannonade  and  bombard  the  camp — and  tliat  in  a 
very  few  hours  after  the  batteries  were  opened  upon 
the  Americans,  they  would  be  compelled  to  seek 
safety  by  flying  to  the  swamps,  when  the  Indians 
would  accomplish  the  rest.  Major  Meur  s  opinion 
was,  that  they  should  "  U  ahle  to  xmohe  the  Yanheex 
out^''  in  the  course  of  the  first  day's  cannonade ;  but 
on  this  occasion,  that  gentleman  certainly  reckoned 
without  his  host. 

A  party  of  British  officers  had  been  down  to  the 
Rapids  and  reconnoitred  our  position,  and  from  the 
situation  they  found  it  in,  it  is  not  at  all  surj^jrising 
that  such  an  opinion  as  Major  Meur's  should  have 
been  formed,  and  the  plan  they  had  formed  was  per* 


382       LIKUT.-('MU)XKL    K.    I>.   Woou's    JOirUXAL    OF 


Imps  ;is  i^<K)(l  a  oiu'  as  (mhiKI  luive  l>een  fallen  U[)on 
for  the  attack  in  the  first  instance,  but  it  sliouK'  have 
been  abandoned  and  chanj^ed  altoi^etlier  sosoon  as  it 
was  discovered  that  we  wei'e  Ijeirinnins;  to  entrench 
ourselves,  entirely  anew,  within  the  origiind  lines  of 
the  camp. 

It  was  now  tlie  Ist  of  April,  when  all  became 
perfectly  coiivincetl  of  the  approaching  storm,  and 
that  in  the  course  of  a  very  few  days  we  might  ex- 
pect a  ])orteiitous  visit  from  his  Excellency  (ieneral 
l^roctor,  accompanied  Ijy  the  great  Tecumseh,  and 
both  attended  with  a  numerous  retinue. 

The  \'irginians  left  us  on  tlie  Hd  and  4th,  and 
the  Pennsylvanians  had  not  yet  made  up  their  minds 
how  many,  oi*  whether  any,  would  volunteer  to  re- 
main a  week  or  two,  or  not.  From  the  example  just 
set  them  by  the  \'irginians,  nothing  could  be  ex- 
pected ;  however,  anotlier  letter  in  the  meantime  was 
recei\  ed  by  Brig.-General  Crooks,  from  General  Har- 
rison, soliciting  him  to  exert  his  influence  to  the 
utmost  among  the  men,  to  get  a  part  or  the  whole 
of  Ids  brigade  to  volunteer  their  services  for  a  few 
<hiys,  until  he  could  liave  time  to  arrive  at  the 
Ra[)ids  with  a  small  party  of  regulars  and  militia, 
both  of  which  were  already  on  their  march.  But 
the  woods  were  almost  impassable,  and  it  was  not 
expected  they  could  arrive  befoi'e  the  10th  or  15th 
of  the  month,  the  very  time  that  it  was  presumed 
the  enemy  would  be  engaged  in  carrying  on  the 
siege ;  Avliich,  were  they  permitted  to  commence  be- 
fore those  re-enforcements  arrived,  all  hopes  of  suc- 
cor were  cut  otf,  and  these  troops  must  fall  a  prey  to 


MAJ.-(}EN.   HAKKISDN'h    CAMPAION    OK    1X12   IX      383 

the  enemy  on  arrival  in  tlie  vicinity  of  the  cttinj).  As 
Jilrendy  .stuted,  about  150  of  those  patriotic  militia 
from  l*ennsylvania  were,  with  some  ditfculty,  pre- 
vailed on  to  remain  tifteeii  or  twenty  days  longer. 
This  conduct,  when  contrasted  with  that  of  tlie 
Virginia  militia,  was  noble  indeed. 

On  the  8th,  Lieut.-Colonel  Ball,  with  about  200 
drago(Mis,  arrived  at  the  Kapids,  and  in  fine  time  to 
aff(»rd  assistance,  which  was  very  much  wanted,  in 
the  com])letion  of  works.  A  short  time  aftei'wards 
(ieneral  Harrison  arrived  with  a  small  cor|)s  of 
regulars  and  militia. 

The  enemy  did  not  make  their  a[)pearance  so 
soon  as  we  had  expected. 

About  the  '20th  the  fifteen  days'  volunteers  were 
])aid  off,  highly  com[)limente<l  in  general  orders,  and 
peiniitted  to  return  home.  The  whole  number  of 
tro(>ps  in  camp  at  this  time  was  about  1,200  or  1,300, 
of  which  not  more  than  8r)0  were  rei)oi*ted  fit 
for  duty.  They  were  better  than  half  regulars  and 
volunteers,  and  the  rest  Kentucky  and  Ohio  militia, 
who  had  just  been  drafted  into  service,  and  of 
coui'se  utterly  imiorant  of  their  duty.  In  the  event 
of  an  attack,  it  was  on  this  liandful  of  undisciplined 
and  inexperienced  troops  that  General  Harrison 
would  liave  solely  to  rely  for  tlie  defense  of  the 
camp,  and  the  safety  of  the  immense  sup[)lies  of  pro- 
visions and  ordnance,  both  of  wliicli  had  been  got 
to  that  place  with  great  difliculty,  and  at  an  enormous 
expense.  And  it  was  now  all  but  certain  that  tlie 
place  would  soon  be  invested,  for  we  received  infor- 
mation  tliat   the  enemy  were  assembling  in  great 


i 


if.;^ 


h^\ 


[i 


m  1'  i ' 


384       LIKFT.-COLONEL    E.    D.  WOOd's    .TOTKA  A  J,    OF 

force  Jit  Sandwicli,  jiiul  that  a  large  number  of 
Indians  liad  just  arrived  at  Detroit  from  St.  Jo- 
sepli  and  the  neiij^hborliood  of  Mackinaw.  Small 
parties  of  scattering  Indians  were  ccmstantly  round 
the  camp,  whose  object  it  seemed  to  be  presum- 
ably to  take  i)ris«)ners,  as  we  supposed,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  information  relative  to  oui* 
strength  and  situation,  and  which,  as  we  after wai'ds 
learned,  was  actually  the  case. 

Our  block-houses,  bntteries,  magazines  and  con- 
necting lines  of  defense  were  now  generally  com- 
2)leted ;  and  the  apjiearance  of  the  camp,  in  every 
direction,  was  such  as  to  inspire  confidence  in  the 
minds  of  those  whose  duty  it  had  become  either  to 
defend,  or  with  it  throw  themseh^es  into  the  hands 
of  an  Enu^lish  savay-e. 

Fuel  for  the  garrison,  and  timber  to  repair 
breaches  and  to  make  bombproofs  should  itbef(/und 
necessary,  were  brought  into  cam])  in  great  abun- 
dance ;  and  two  or  three  wells  were  instantly  com- 
menced, and  everything  <lone  that  possibly  could  be 
to  place  the  cam})  in  the  best  situation  to  sustain  a 
length \'  sicii-e. 

(.)n  the  2r)th  a  scouting  party  was  sent  down  to 
Pres(|ue  Isle,  to  see  if  any  discoveries  could  be  made 
of  the  ai)pr()ach  of  the  enemy,  which  paiiy  returned 
in  the  aftei'uoon  of  the  same  day,  and  reported  that 
they  saw  several  tents  pitched  ujion  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  and  two  or  three  sail  boats  off  the  mouth 
of  the  bay.  On  the  26th,  in  the  afternoon,  a  party 
of  horsemen,  consisting  of  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
English   officers  and    Indians,  debouched   from   the 


1 1  • 


maj.-(jp:n^.  ir.\HRrsox'.=5  campaion  of  1812  is.    885 


j:;:: 


woods  in  toll  a  siiuill  phiiu  on  the  opposite  side  of 
tlie  river,  and  iji;all(»ped  over  it  apiuirently  with  a 
design  of  exaniinini>;  its  h)eal  jK)sitioii,  and  to  select 
suitable  sites  for  the  placing  of  tlieir  l)atteries.  Our 
guns  were  all  instantly  loaded ;  but  liefore  we 
could  get  ready  to  pay  due  honors  to  these  new  guests 
they  thought  i)i'oj)er  to  dispense  with  all  ceremony 
on  that  occasion  and  to  be  off.  The  next  morning 
sixty  01  eight}^  dragoons  were  «lespatched  a  sliort 
distance  down  the  river  to  see  wliat  the  eneniv  were 
about. 

They  had  proceeded  but  a  slK)rt  distance  before 
they  met  the  Indians,  who  by  tlieii*  manoeuvering 
manifested  a  design  of  getting  into  the  rear  of  the 
dragoons,  which  the  intrepid  Lieutenant  who  com- 
manded the  party  did  not  altogether  like  so  well ; 
lie  therefore  o]iposed  a  counter  manoeuvre  by  bring- 
ing his  men  su(hlcidv  to  the  right  about,  and  hasten- 
ing  expeditiously  back  to  camj),  where  he  arrived 
safe  with  only  one  man  slightly  wounded.  This 
was  certainly  the  best  thing  he  couhl  have  done. 

It  afterwards  aj)peared,  that  on  the  25tli  the 
combined  Britisji  and  Indian  forces  consisting  of 
800  militia,  500  regulars,  and  1,500  Indians,  all 
luider  the  command  of  Brig.-deneral  Proctor,  arrived 
at  the  mouth,  and  landed  on  the  left  shore  of  the 
Miami,  and  instantly  threw  a  pjirty  of  Indians  across 
the  river,  to  observe  and  ^vatcll  the  conduct  of  our 
troops,  should  any  of  them  be  sent  out  to  recon- 
noitre, as  was  the  constant  practice.  The  next  day 
the  army  was  [>ut  in  motion,  keeping  its  left  to  the 
river,  and  arriving  with  the  gunboats  and  batteries, 

! 


386       LIEUT.-COLONEL    E.   D.  WOOd's   JOURNAL    OF 


II* 


\^h 


in  which  were  the  artillery  and  ordnance  stores,  and 
advanced  gradually  up  until  it  arrived  on  the  27th 
at  old  Fort  Miami,  situated,  as  already  described, 
two  and  a  half  miles  below  Camp  Meigs,  and  near 
the  foot  of  the  rai)ids.  The  bateaux  were  imme- 
diately unloaded  and  employed  in  conveying  the 
balance  of  the  Indians  to  our  side  of  the  river.  To- 
day the  camp  was  completely  invested,  an<l  on  the 
following  night  the  enemy  br<)ke  ground  in  four 
diffei'ent  places,  and  were  very  industriously  em- 
ployed until  morning,  when  their  works  were  dis- 
covered to  be  in  a  tolerable  state  of  forwardness. 
No  sooner  were  these  nocturnal  works  discovered, 
than  ordei's  were  given  for  all  our  guns,  that  could 
be  brought  to  bear,  to  open  instantly  U])on  them, 
which  orders  were  executed  with  alacrity  and 
promptitude  ;  and  those  works  of  one  night's  growth, 
soon  looked  as  if  they  had  been  but  a  moment's. 

Understanding  now  })erfectly  the  enemy's  }»lan 
of  attack,  and  where  each  of  his  princi[)al  batteries 
were  going  to  be  erected,  and  the  particidar  object 
of  each,  and  knowing  that  we  should  be  greath 
annoyed  in  our  })resent  state  by  his  artillery,  it 
became  necessary  to  intrench  the  army  entirely  anew, 
which  of  course  must  be  done  within  the  origi- 
nal lines  of  the  camp.  A  plan  for  a  kind  of  in- 
trenched citadel  had  been  some  time  before  arranged 
and  recommended  by  Captain  Wood  of  the  engineers 
to(ieneral  Harrison  as  the  only  effectual  secuiity  foi' 
the  army  in  case  the  enemy  should  attack  with  artil- 
lery, and  which  in  a  measure  had  been  mentioned  by 
him.     It  had  not  only  met  his  api)robation,  but  he 


;«•-■ 


MAJ.-OKN.   KARKISOn's    ('A.UI'AIGN    OK    1812  13.       387 


had  on  one  or  two  occasions  ol»ser\e<l  tlmt  lie 
tboiii^ht  it  luul  better  l)e  conunenced  and  in  a  state 
of  progression,  tluit  we  niiglit  he  tlie  better  prepared 
for  tlie  reception  of  the  enemy  in  case  he  slioidd 
come  smhlenly  u[)on  us.  Ordei-s  were  given  for 
Captain  Wood  to  commence  tlie  new  iiitrenchments. 
On  the  28th  in  the  morning  the  whole  army  was  set 
to  work,  and  continued  in  the  trenches  until 
"tattoo";  when,  on  account  of  darkness  and  rain,  a 
suspension  of  their  labors  until  reveille  was  recom- 
mended by  the  engineer  to  the  (leneral  and  readily 
approved  of;  the  troo})s  ^vere  accor<lingly  dismissed 
with  directions  to  the  different  commandants  of  par- 
ties to  resume  their  stations  in  the  trenches  again  at 
break  of  day,  which  orders  were  strictly  complied 
with. 

Orders  had  been  previously  given  in  the  forepart 
of  the  day  for  the  troops  to  continue  at  w-ork  all 
night  in  the  trenches  ;  l)ut  they  had  progressed  most 
rapidly  through  the  day,  and  the  night  being  a  very 
bad  one,  it  was  thought  that  more  labor  might  be 
accomplished  the  next  day  by  letting  the  men  rest, 
than  by  keeping  them  all  night  at  work. 

Never  did  men  l)ehave  better,  on  any  similar 
occasion  than  did  ours  on  this.  The  Indians  had 
now^  bec(^>me  extremely  troublesome ;  there  was  not 
a  stum[),  bush,  or  log,  within  musket  shot  of  the 
camp,  but  what  shielded  its  man,  and  some  of  them 
two  or  three.  Unfortunately,  we  had  not  been  able 
to  clear  the  wood  away  to  a  sulRcient  distance,  on 
our  left,  of  which  circumstance  those  demons  of  the 
forest  very  readily  availed  themselves,  and,  instead 


388       LIEUT.-COLONKL    E.   D.  WOOd's    JOITRNAL    OF 


I'!;' 


of  remaining  idle  at  the  foot  of  the  trees,  they  hoiinced 
into  their  tops,  witli  as  much  agility  and  dexterity  us  if 
they  had  been  taught  it  from  their  infancy :  and 
from  those  elevated  stations,  poured  dov.i:  iiiio  our 
camp  prodigious  shower;;  of  musketry  ;  but  the 
distance  being  so  great,  out  of  the  numerous 
(piantity  of  balls  received  in  camp,  but  very  few 
took  eifect ;  many  of  the  men,  however,  weie 
wounded  and  rendered  incapable  of  perfoi-ming  duty 
for  some  time.  This  ethereal  .'innoyance  from  the 
Indians,  certainly  served  as  a  source  of  great  stimu- 
lus to  the  militia  in  camp,  for  notwithstanding  their 
prompt  o])edience  to  orders  and  attention  to  duty, 
yet  their  movements  w^ere  very  much  accelerate*  I  by 
it,  as  will  always  be  found  the  case  whenever  nuis- 
ketiy  is  brisk  about  their  ears. 

It  is  by  no  means  astonishing  that  any  kind  of 
tro'^^ps  should  act  with  energy  and  courage  A\hen 
situated  as  were  those  in  Camp  Meigs,  one  hundred 
miles  distant  ivom.  any  settlement,  in  an  im])enetrable 
swamp  the  camji  entirely  surrounded  with  Indians, 
who  filled  it  with  nuisketry  as  thick  as  hail,  no  hope 
of  relief,  and  the  active  prepai'ations  across  the  ri\er 
for  cannonading  and  bombarding  the  camp,  all  an- 
nouncing  the   necesxity   for   the  most  spirited  and 


vigorous  resistance. 


After  the  first  day's  labor  in  the  trenches,  one- 
third  of  the  troops  only,  were  kept  in  them  con- 
stantly, who  were  relieved  every  three  hours  by 
fresh  ones.  In  this  way  we  continued  our  operations, 
occasionally  firing  at  the  civilized  savages  across  the 
river,  as  well  as  upon  the  wild  ones  in  the  woods, 


MA.T.-GEN.  Harrison's  campaign  of  1812  13.    889 


whenevei'  the  former  exposed  themselves,  or  the  latter 
hecame  too  tnnihlrsonie. 

The  General  was  extremely  active  through  the 
(h'U',  was  evervwhere  to  he  seen  in  the  trenches, 
urgin<r  on  the  works,  as  well  by  precept  asexam))le. 
lie  sle))t  but  little,  and  was  uncommonly  vigilant 
and  watchful  thr<)Ui^h  the  niorlit. 

The  tirst  thing  commenced,  to  shield  the  troops 
against  the  annoyance  of  cannon,  was  a  traverse,  of 
about  twenty  feet  base,  laid  [)arallel  with  the  river, 
upon  the  most  elevated  ground,  which  was  near  the 
middle,  and  running  the  whole  length  of  the  camp; 
it  was  fi'om  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  and  completed 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  May.  An 
avenue,  as  it  ^vere,  had  been  opened  through  the 
tents  and  as  manv  left  standing  on  that  side  next 
the  enemy  as  possible,  to  cover  from  his  view  our 
operations,  until  the  ti'averse  should  be  completed, 
and  which  seemed  from  his  conduct  to  have  answered 
the  ])urpose  extremely  well. 

This  particular  piece  of  work  was  completed  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  Ist  of  May,  just  as  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  enemy  had  finished  three  of  his 
l)rincipal  batteries,  had  got  his  guns  in,  was  then 
loading  and  bringing  them  to  battery;  when  orders 
were  directlv  ijriven  for  all  the  tents  in  front  to  be 
instantly  struck  and  carried  into  the  rear  of  the 
ti'averse.  This  was  done  in  almost  a  moment, 
and  that  beautiful  prospect  of  beating  up  our 
([uarters,  which  but  an  instant  before  presented 
itself  to  the  view  of  the  eager  and  skilful  artil- 
lerists,   had    now    entirely    fled,    and    in    its    place 


390       LIKl'T.-COLOXKr.    K.    I).   \V<10I)'s    JorUXAL    OF 


«.!■'.'.'  •      . 


■  fiti  ■  5 

IP 


m-  I 


1 


s 


^i!^ 


suddenly  Ji[>peart^tl  an  iniiiuMise  shield  of  ejirth,  ob- 
Hcuring  from  liis  sii^lit  evei y  tent,  every  horse  (of 
which  thei'e  were  200)  and  every  ei'eature  belonfrinc: 
to  the  cann).  How  disappointe*!  must  have  ]>een 
the  in(lefatiii:al)le  and  skilful  enmneer  on  discoverins: 
tlie  futility  of  all  his  works,  and  wliat  a  jjloomv 
and  hopeless  prospect  presented  itself  to  the  ardent 
and  scientific  artillerist  ! 

Those  canvas  houses,  which  in  a  gieat  measure 
had  covered  the  growth  of  the  ti'averse,  by  keeping 
from  the  view  of  the  enemy  the  operations  about 
it,  were  now  with  their  inhabitants  in  them,  entirely 
protected  in  their  turn. 

But  as  neither  the  tjeneral,  enij-ineer  or  nrtiller- 
ist  were  convinced  of  the  fo/lf/  and  fufiJlfti  of  their 
works,  everything  being  ready,  the  batteries  must 
be  opened,  and  five  days  of  ai'duous  cannonading  and 
bombarding  were  necessary  to  produce  a  fhorotu/h 
(Hinniction.  At  11  o'clock  a.  m.  their  })atteries  Avere 
therefore  opened,  and  a  most  tremendous  cannon- 
ading and  bombardment  was  commenced  and  kejit 
up,  the  {ormer  until  dark,  and  the  latter  until  11 
o'clock  at  night,  when  all  was  again  silent.  As  we 
sustained  l)ut  little  injury  through  the  day,  having 
but  one  or  two  men  killed,  and  five  or  six  wounded, 
(the  latter  })rincipally  by  the  Indians)  and  our 
supply  of  ammunition  being  quite  inadeipiate  to  the 
necessities  of  a  lengthy  siege,  we  fired  very  little 
during  the  day,  ccmtenting  ourselves  in  safety  and 
listening  to  the  enemy's  mnsic.  Some  shells  and  a 
few  rounds  of  grape  were  occasionally  fired  at  the 
Indians,  to  drive  them  from  their  stations  whenever 


MAJ.-GKN.   MAKKISON's    ("AMI'AICJX    «>K    1812   13.       '^9\ 


they  ajtproaclied  too  near  tlie  Hues,  wliicli,  in  eoiise- 
(jiience  of  their  teasiiiii:,  were  kept  in  ahnost  a  eoii- 
Htant  ))laze  with  musketrv.  <  )ii  the  2(1,  at  dawn  of 
(hiy,  tlie  cannonade  aij^ain  coninienced  witli  i^reat 
vijj^or,  and  the  l)atteries  continued  to  phiy  witli  cou- 
sidera)»le  briskness  through  the  day,  and  with  ahout 
the  same  effect  as  the  preceding  day.  Tlie  position, 
however,  of  one  of  our  inaga/.ines  was  discovered  in 
the  course  of  the  day,  and  great  liopes  seemed  to 
have  been  entertained  by  tlie  enemy  of  effecting  its 
destruction^  the  roof  having  been  hit  by  a  24-pound 
shot ;  the  whole  of  the  batteries  were  instantlv 
directed  upon  it,  and  the  traverse  not  being  of  suf- 
ficient height  to  protect  the  roof,  that  })art  of  it  was 
pretty  soon  battered  down,  or  rather  blown  off*  by 
a  shell,  which  fell  and  exploded  directly  ujxni  its 
loft,  no  damage  of  conse([uence,  however,  was  done 
to  it.  As  soon  as  the  firiiii;  ceased  in  the  eveniiiir. 
Captain  Bradford  (a  most  excellent  otiicer)  with  a 
party  of  men,  went  to  Avork,  and  before  day  had 
the  magazine  entirely  repaired.  Its  loft  had  been 
covered  with  two  tier  of  large  timber,  with  plenty 
of  raw  hides  placed  between  them,  so  as  to  jirevent 
the  tire  from  falling  down  into  the  magazine  in  case 
of  shells  lighting  upon  it ;  these  timbers  were  hewn 
on  two  sides,  and  well  s[>iked  together.  It  had 
been  apprehended  that  the  enemy  finding  he  could 
not  effect  his  ])ur])ose  by  battering  from  the  o])j)o- 
site  aide  of  the  river,  might  take  it  into  his  liead  to 
establish  ])atteries  somewhere  along  our  front,  or  on 
<me  or  other  of  the  flanks,  and  in  order  that  we 
might    be    ])repared   t(k   receive   him  at    all    points, 


35)2       LrEFT.-rOLONEL    E.    0,   \V<)(»n's    JOrUN'AL    OF 


tU'    •! 


p: 

In'- 


t  . 


n;-- 


1 


1 


tf 


another  traverse,  parallel  witli  the  first,  and  distant 
alxnit  one  hnndred  yards  liad  been  eoninienced — 
was  soon  finislied,  and  tlie  two  connected  by  several 
short  ones.  Tliis  was  (h)ne  with  a  view  to  cut  the 
space  ii{)  so  mncii  that  i-icocliet  tirini;  lenii^tliways  tlie 
camp  sliould  be  attended  witli  no  injury  while  the 
men  were  in  tlieir  tents. 

Our  intrenchnients  now,  in  a  manner,  formed  a 
complete  citadel,  wliich  could  have  been  defended 
to  gi-eat  advantaui^e,  and  would  have  been  found  ex- 
tremely ditttcult  to  force  had  tlie  enemy  been  able  to 
have  effected  a  ])assage  at  the  first  lines,  which  he 
never  could  have  d<me  without  sustainiuijc  an  un- 
mense  loss. 

On  the  3d,  at  10  o'clock  a.  m.,  our  apprehensions 
respectiuij:  the  enemy's  crossinoi:  the  river  were  com- 
j)letely  realized,  for  it  was  now  discovered  by  the 
fire  of  three  or  foiu*  pieces  that  he  was  already  on 
our  left,  with  his  cannon  stuck  in  the  edge  of  a 
small  ravine.  From  a  few  of  the  first  shots  some 
damage  was  sustained,  but  the  best  position  had  not 
yet  been  taken,  and  by  setting  two  or  three  18-})ounders 
to  work  upon  those  impudent  fellows  in  the  ''bush" 
we  were  soon  able  to  silence  them  for  a  time.  An 
attack  from  the  left  having  been  anticipated  its  con- 
sequences were,  in  a  great  measure,  foi-eseen  and 
guai'ded  against.  The  person  who  was  employed 
with  the  howitzer  seemed  a  friend  or  possessed  of 
veiy  little  skill  in  his  profession,  for  notwithstand- 
ing he  was  but  about  three  or  four  hundred  yards 
distant  from  the  camp,  yet  not  more  than  one  out  of 
four  or  fiv^e  shells  thrown  ever  came  inside  the  lines. 


MAJ.-(<KN^.   HARIUSOx's    ("AMI'ArCJN    (»K    1812  1:5.       393 


It  was  tlie  opinion  of  many  of  our  men  that  he 
certainly  mii8t  be  a  friend,  and  felt  for  our  witnation. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  he  badly  ae(]uitte(l  himself.  In 
course  of  tlie  third  day  we  had  two  or  three  dra- 
goons killed,  several  sliifhtly  touched,  and  a  number 
of  horses  killed  ;  in  fact,  it  seemed  to  have  been 
pdi'tiruldiiij  an  iniforfmiate  day  for  the  cavalry. 

On  the  4th,  the  enemy  neither  opened  his  bat- 
teries so  early  in  the  morning  as  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  do,  nor  did  he  tire  them  with  his  usual 
activity.  The  tire,  though  somewhat  lively  in  tlie 
morning,  grew  less  so  through  the  day,  until  toward 
evening  when  it  became  (piite  dull ;  and  everything 
about  the  batteries  appeared  as  if  the  enemy  were 
convinced  that  their  labor  was  entirely  lost,  and 
that  a  farther  j>rosecution  of  the  attack  from  that 
side  of  the  river  would  only  be  attended  with  an 
immense'  waste  of  powder  and  ball,  and  ultimately 
prove  of  no  avail. 

From  excess  of  fatigue  and  almost  constant 
watching  in  the  trenches,  through  the  night,  our 
troops  had  become  somewhat  broken  down,  however 
their  s})irits  were  yet  good,  and  a  little  refreshment, 
with  a  few  hours  rest,  were  only  necessary  to  render 
them  as  effective  as  ever.  The  garrison  frecpiently 
showed  itself  above  the  works,  and  occasionally 
gave  three  cheers,  especially  when  the  tire  of  the 
enemy  was  not  brisk,  and  when  it  could  be  done 
with  safety.  It  always  occasioned  a  most  hideous 
yell  from  the  Indians.  These  rascals  appeared  to  be 
greatly  delighted  at  the  bursting  of  the  shells  in 
our  camp,  and  whenever  great  or  material   damage 


394       LTEUT.-COLONEL    K.   D.   WOOd's    JOITRNAL    OF 


I: 


iftp 


was  HUjjposed  to  have  been  (lone  ])y  an  explosion, 
they    were   snre    to    expresH  their  approl)ation    by 

At  about  1 2  o'clock  on  the  night  of  the  4th,  Mr. 
Oliver,  a  young  man  who  had  been  dispatched  to 
meet  General  ('lay,  who  was  supposed  to  be  some- 
where on  the  Miami,  returned  and  brought  informa- 
tion that  the  General  was  then  within  about  eight 
miles  of  the  camp  with  1,200  militia;  and  that  he 
would  be  aide  in  all  prol>al)ility,  to  reach  Camp 
Meigs  before  day.  Mr.  Oliver  left  camp  to  meet 
General  Clay  on  the  28th  of  Api-il.  (ireneral  Harri- 
son immediately  formed  a  i)lan  for  having  the 
enemy's  batteries  across  the  river  stormed  and  the 
guns  spiked.  Captain  Dudley  was  furnished  with 
spikes,  and  directed  to  get  out  of  camp  as  secretly 
as  possilde,  to  take  a  canoe,  and  make  the  best  of  his 
way  up  the  river  luitil  he  should  meet  wnth  General 
Clay  to  whom  he  was  to  deliver  the  following  in- 
structions : — that  he  must  land  the  whole  or  such 
l)art  of  his  troops  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river 
early  in  the  morning,  as  he  might  deem  sufficient  to 
storm  and  carry  the  enemy's  batteries  and  to  spike 
their  guns ;  the  bearer  of  the  orders  to  act  as  a 
guide,  and  to  conduct  the  storming  columns  to  the 
batteries.  The  magazines  wei'e  likewise  to  be  de- 
stroyed, and  the  troops  instantl}-  to  return  to  theii' 
boats,  and  recross  the  I'iver  to  Camp  Meigs.  Cap- 
tain Dudley  reached  General  Clay  in  time  to  delivei* 
his  orders.  Of  the  1,200  men,  800  under  the  direc- 
tions of  Colonel  Dudley  (a  man  alike  ignorant  and 
I'ash,  and  who  had  never  heard  a  hostile  gun),  were 


MA.T.-UKN.   HARRISOx's    CAMPAIGN    OF    1812-13.      395 


ordered  to  land  at  dawn  of  day,  to  perform  thin  gal- 
lant service. 

The  troops  were  formed  into  three  columns  and 
moved  down  to  the  attack,  but  they  did  not  reach  the 
batteries  until  al)out  5)  o'clock  in  the  morniiii;.  On 
coming  witliin  .'iOO  or  400  yards  of  the  works,  liis 
men  set  up  a  most  tremendous  yell  (under  an  im- 
pression, I  suppose,  that  a  Kentucky  yell  was  more 
to  be  dreaded  than  their  arms),  and  pushed  on  with- 
out order  or  op[>osition  and  took  possession  of  all 
the  enemy's  works,  almost  witliout  firing  a  single 
gun,  and  without  tlie  loss  of  a  single  man.  The  few 
artillei'ists  who  were  about  the  l)atteries,  on  hearing 
this  tremendous  yell,  took  the  alarm,  snatched  the 
colors  from  their  standards  and  flew  with  great 
precij)itation  to  the  main  force  below,  which  was  at 
old  F'ort  Miami — nor  were  they  easily  overtaken. 
Colonel  Dudley  now  found  himself  in  complete 
possession  of  the  objects  of  his  enterprise,  and  he 
had  nothing  further  to  do  l)ut  to  spike  the  guns 
blow  up  or  destroy  the  magazines,  and  return  with 
all  possible  celerity  to  his  boats  and  cross  the  river 
before  the  enemy  should  have  time  allowed  him  to 
march  the  army  up  from  Fort  Miami,  and  attack 
him  in  return. 

But,  great  God  !  neither  knowing  how  to  obey 
orders  nor  to  profit  by  success.  Colonel  Dudley  re- 
mained with  his  men  upon  the  ground,  gi-atifying 
a  vain  curiosity,  without  spiking  but  a  part  of  the 
guns,  and  leaving  tlie  magazines  entire,  until  the 
enemy  had  ample  time  to  collect  his  forces,  and  re- 
turn to  repossess  himself  of   his  works,  and  chastise 


30n       I.IEFT.-roLONEL    K    1).   WOOd's    JOIUNAL    OF 


If:"; 


t:-i 


i 


ri'Si 


in  tlie  seveivst  niaiUMM'  tlie  teiiuM'ity,  tolly,  iLfiionnjcp 
and  Htupidity  of  tliis  most  unroitunate  coninuunh'r. 
Yew,  it  seemed  as  it'  tl>ose  miserahle  ereatnres  were 
only  waitino;  upon  the  theati'e  of  tlsoir  suceesH  an<l 
glory,  for  the  enemy  to  l)e  fully  prepared  to  take 
ample  revenife. 

These  batteries  were  situated  near  the  bank  of 
the  river,  up(Mi  a  .-mall  plain,  with  a  wood  in  the 
rear,  and  entirely  edged  with  thick  bushes  exc'e])t  in 
front;  and  the  ground,  on  leaving  the  plain  to  go  into 
the  woods,  was  consideral)lv  intersected  with  small 
ravines,  whose  banks  were  entirely  covei'ed  with 
under-mail  brush.  After  remaining  in  grou})s  upon 
this  j)!ain,  in  the  most  disorderly  manner  jmssible, 
for  about  thirty  minutes,  the  Indians  returned,  and 
conunenced  a  scattering  fire  from  the  edge  of  the 
bushes,  which  instantly  drew  the  militia  from  the 
plain  into  the  woods;  in  the  meantime  a  colunm  of 
British  ivgulars  were  marched  along  U[)  the  river 
until  they  came  upon  the  ground  just  left  by  Colonel 
Dudley,  when  they  halted,  formed  in  order  of  bat- 
tle, and  advanced  to  the  attack  of  his  rear.  Thus 
situated  between  two  fires,  his  troops  in  the  great- 
est disorder,  skirmishing  with  the  Indians,  in  every 
direction,  and  possessing  not  the  leist  knowledge  of 
the  local  situation  of  the  field  of  battle,  what  was  to 
be  expected,  or  what  could  be  done  by  Colonel 
Dudley?  No  human  means  within  the  control  of 
this  unfortunate  ofiicer  could  save  him,  his  fate  was 
fixed,  and  the  desti'uction  of  his  corps  inevitable. 
The  contest  was  but  short — a  few  minutes  were 
sufficient   to  place  this  gallant  corps  of  800  Ken- 


M.\.I.-(JKN.    IIAKIMSOn's    CAMI'AHiN    OF    1H12   l:j.      .'{97 


!lll| 


tuckiuiiM  at  tlie  mercy  of  a  most  crnd,  s(tr(tf/f'  and 
Ixd'lKiroHx  f<K^,  wlio  only  knew  to  conqncr  and 
Hlani^liter.  Of  the  S(M>  in  this  cni^atifement,  only 
about  100  were  able  to  effect  tlieir  retreat — 80  or  IM) 
of  them  i(ot  across  the  river  to  Camp  Meigs,  and  the 
])alance  escaped  to  Fort  Wayne,  (50  or  To  were 
killed  and  the  rest  taken  prisoners.  Upwards  of 
<)0()  were  taken  and  marched  under  an  escort  of 
In<lians  to  lu'ad([uarters  and  confined  in  Old  Fort 
Miami,  with  a  strong  chain  of  sentinels  round  the 
works.  The  Indians  were  then  permitted  by  (leneral 
Proctor  to  assemble  upon  the  surrounding  lam^iart, 
and  there  at  their  leisure,  to  amuse  themselves  by 
loading  and  firing  at  the  crowd  of  prisoners,  until 
at  length,  they  preferred  slaughtering  those  wretched 
mortals  in  a  manner  more  suitable  to  their  savage 
feelings;  they  therefore  laid  by  their  riiles,  walked 
into  the  slaughter-pen,  seized  such  persons  as  they 
pleased,  and  leading  them  to  the  gateway,  there  toma- 
hawked and  scalped  them  without  mercy  or  restraint. 
Nine  bodies  were  found  lying  in  one  pile,  near  the 
gate  of  the  Fort,  after  General  Proctor  left  the 
Miami.  Many  were  ft)und  in  other  ])laces  toma- 
hawked and  scalped,  and  their  bodies  mangled  in 
the  most  barbarous  and  inhuman  nnmner.  Colonel 
Dudley  was  found  on  the  field  of  battle,  scal[>ed, 
his  breast  cut  open,  and  his  heart  taken  out !  He 
fell  a  victim  to  his  own  indiscretion  and  folly — and 
shared  the  fate  of  many  of  his  brave  countrymen, 
who  were  less  foiiunate,  in  escaping  death  upon  the 
iield  of  battle,  as  a  more  horrid  one  awaited  tiiem  at 
Fort  Miami.     Long  will  Kentucky  have  cause  to  re- 


398       LIEUT.-COLOXEL    E.   D.  WOOd's    JOURNAL    OF 


p. 


IH' 


i 


iiieiiil)ei'  the  oth  <luy  of  May,  as  well  as  the  22d  of 
January,  no  less  memorable  for  the  massacre  at 
Kaisiu.  Just  as  the  unfortunate  contest  terminated 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  another  of  much  less 
importance  took  place  upon  our  side  and  within  a 
few  hundi-ed  yards  of  the  camp. 

On  attemptini^  to  land  the  balance  of  his  men  from 
tlie  boats  in  \V'hich  they  had  descended  the  Miami, 
General  Chiy  met  with  considerable  opposition  from 
the  Indians,  \vho  poured  forth  from  the  woods  in 
great  swarms,  and  seemed  determined  that  not  a 
single  man  should  i-each  tlie  camp.  The  Kentuck- 
ians,  wishing  to  see  the  works  and  tlieir  friends  in 
camp,  obstinately  persisted  in  pushing  on,  and  a 
sharp  tire  soon  ensued.  Such  guns  as  could  be 
biought  to  bear  upon  the  enemy,  from  the  camp, 
were  played  with  great  briskness.  Lieut.-Colonel 
Ball  with  200  dragoons  and  one  battalion  of  Infantry 
was  sent  to  the  assistance  of  General  Clay,  who  by 
this  time  had  been  able  to  repulse  the  enemy,  and 
to  get  within  a  short  distance  of  the  camp  ;  being 
re-enforced,  he  drove  the  enemy  quite  into  the 
woods,  when  orders  were  sent  for  the  troops  all  to 
return  to  camp.  In  this  aifair  he  had  fifteen  or 
twenty  killed,  and  one  man  taken  priscmer;  the 
enemy^s  loss  was  somewhat  greater.  General  Clay's 
men  had  got  into  camp,  and  that  ahme  was  all  the 
advantage  we  could  boast  of.  In  fact,  I  thought  it 
rather  unprofitable  business,  for  the  lives  of  fifty 
savages  will  not,  in  my  opinion,  compensate  for  the 
loss  of  one  single  brave  soldier.  Those  guns  which 
Colonel    Dudley  had   failed   to  spike   were  played 


MAJ.-GEN.  Harrison's  campaign  of  1812  13.     399 


upon  the  camp,  and  tlie  rear  of  our  ti'oops,  during 
their  skirniisli  witli  the  Indians,  with  _ij!:reat  vehe- 
mence and  considerable  effect;  this  was  truly  l)er- 
plexing  and  vexatious.  Tnat  we  should  exi)erience 
annoyance  from  these  ])iece8,  which  l)ut  a  few 
moments  before  were  in  the  possession  of  our  troops, 
and  might  so  easily  have  been  spiked  and  rendered 
useless  to  the  enemy,  seemed  almost  insupjK>rtable. 
In  fact,  it  was  but  too  just  to  say  that  Dudley's 
conduct  merited  almost  any  fate  that  could  possibly 
befall  him. 

General  Clay  and  Colonel  Hall  having  got  into 
camp  with  their  wounded,  (xenei'al  Harrison  deter- 
mined to  tiy  one  other  ex[)eriment  with  the  enemy ; 
he  therefoi'e  ordered  Colonel  J.  Miller  of  the  19th 
Regulars  with  850  men  to  rally  from  two  different 
places,  and  to  storm  those  batteries  which  were 
erected  upon  our  left,  on  the  3d  of  May.  This 
officer,  always  ready  to  distinguish  himself,  formed 
his  men  and  moved  along  the  small  ravine  until  lie 
came  near  the  enemv  without  beini^:  discovered,  but 
on  risinu:  the  bank  within  fiftvor  one  hundred  vards 
of  the  batteries  he  appeared  in  full  view  of  twice 
or  thrice  his  force.  His  men,  liowever,  were  ordered 
to  charge,  which  they  did  in  the  most  gallant  man- 
ner, and  in  a  moment  had  possession  of  the  batteries, 
and  the  guns  were  dismounted.  The  enemy  were 
pursued  some  distance  into  the  woods  when  ordei*s 
were  received  for  these  brave  fellows  to  return  to 
camp,  which  they  did,  but  suffered  much  from  the 
Indians  while  returning  to  the  lines  ;  two  lieutenants 
and  forty-one  pri\'ates,  were  the  fruit  of  this  att'air. 


400       LTETJT.-COLONEL    E.    I>.  WOOd's    JOURNAL    OF 


H    V 


Our  loss  was  al^oiit  thirty  killed  and  three  times 
that  number  wounded.  Many  reasons  tend  to  confirm 
a  belief  that  the  enemy's  loss  in  this  affair  was  much 
greater  than  oui's.  Cjiptains  Croghan  (now  Colonel 
Croghan),  Laugliam  and  Bradford,  particularly  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  this  action  (if  such  it  may 
be  called)  as  did  several  subalterns,  among  whom 
were  Ensigns  Shipp,  Mitchell  and  Stockton.  The 
com[)any  of  volunteers  from  Petersburg  (Virginia) 
particularly  distinguished  themselves  by  their  in- 
trepid and  cool  conduct  while  approaching  the  bat- 
teries under  a  heav}'  fire  of  musketry.  Colonel 
Miller  commanded  his  troops  with  cons[)icuous  courage 
and  gallantry,  but  being  the  only  ofiicer  on  horse- 
back it  was  out  of  his  power  to  see  what  occurred 
on  the  fianks  and  in  the  centre  at  the  same  time,  or 
to  get  the  requisite  orders  conveyed  to  those  places, 
in  conse([uence  of  which  the  Indians  came  v^ery 
near  turnino;  his  rio-ht  and  ixettinir  into  his  rear,  which 
had  they  gained,  being  at  that  time  very  numerous, 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  consequences 
would  have  been  terrible  indeed.  Lieutenant 
Gwynne,  then  commanding  a  company  on  the  right, 
fought  his  men  man  to  num,  foi*  some  time,  and  held 
the  Indians  in  check  until  their  manoeuvre  was  com- 
pletely understood,  and  Colonel  Miller  had  time  to 
counteract  it. 

It  was  now  about  12  or  1  o'clock  when  all  the 
firing  had  ceased,  and  each  looked  as  if  he  had 
received  all  the  injury  that  the  other  could  possibly 
do  him.  The  Indians  were  seen  passing  constantly 
to  and  from  Colonel   Dudley's  boats,  which  were  a 


MA.T.-OEN.  Harrison's  campaign  of  I812-13.    401 

short  distance  up  tlie  river,  with  iiiimeuse  loads  of 
phinder.  Flags  were  now  passing  between  the  two 
armies  upon  the  subject  of  an  exchange  of  prison- 
ers, whicli  cei'emony  the  Indians  soon  availed  tlieni- 
selves  of  by  hoisting  a  white  sliirt  or  towel  on 
a  stick,  and  then  prowling  ah^ng  before  us  with 
heavy  h^ads  of  plunder,  and  in  the  most  impudent 
manner. 

In  tlie  course  of  the  afternoon.  General  Proctor 
had  the  audacity  to  summon  us  to  surrender  the 
camp ;  he  was  very  properly  answered  and  told  that 
if  ever  he  got  possession  of  Camp  Meigs,  it  would  be 
under  such  circumstances  as  to  give  him  greater 
claims  upon  the  gratitude  of  his  pountry  than  he 
possibly  coidd  have  by  its  })eing  surrendered  into 
his  hands — or  words  to  that  effect. 

The  day  was  extremely  wet  and  cold,  and  having 
no  comfortable  places  for  our  sick  and  wounded, 
both  seemed  to  suffer  much.  But  everything  was 
done  for  them  that  possibly  could  be,  and  no  means 
were  spared  to  make  them  as  comfortable  as  the 
nature  of  their  situation  would  admit.  The  wounded 
had  hitherto  been  lying  in  the  trenches,  on  rails 
barely  sufficient  to  keep  them  up  out  of  the  ^vater, 
which  in  many  places,  from  the  bleeding  of  the 
wounded,  had  the  appearance  of  puddles  of  blood. 
These  poor  fellows  were  many  times  lying  in  that 
state  without  any  other  cover  of  shelter  than  that 
of  the  heavens. 

It  was  now  ])elieved  that  General  Proctor,  con- 
tenting himself  with  the  partial  success  he  had 
met  witli,  woidd  soon   raise  the  siege  and   return  to 


/ 


/ 


402       LIEUT.-COLONEL    E.   D.  WOOd's    JOURXAL    OF 


m 


#1  - 


Maiden ;  and  without  troubling  us  any  more,  on  the 
morning  of  the  9th  he  accordingly  left  us.  The 
prisoners  which  he  took  were  carried  down  to 
Huron,  and  there  landed. 

Having  many  sick  and  wounded,  as  was  natu- 
rally to  be  expected  after  a  close  siege  of  nine  days 
(five  days  batteries  open),  and  our  force  greatly 
impaired  besides  by  the  sorties  fiom  the  right  and 
left,  on  the  5th,  it  now  became  an  object  of  the  great- 
est importance  to  make  such  provisions,  and  to  take 
such  measures  as  might  tend  speedily  to  a  restoration 
of  health  and  vii^^or  in  the  arm  v.  The  block- 
houses  about  the  lines  were  immediately  cleared  of 
the  guns  and  stores  and  converted  into  temporary 
hospitals ;  tents  were  pitched  with  arbors  about 
them,  and  such  general  arrangements  were  made  to 
soften  and  alleviate  their  distresses  as  their  situ- 
ation and  the  nature  of  circumstances  would  admit. 
They,  however,  were  but  badly  provided  with  the 
little  necessaries  and  comforts  which  belong,  and 
afford  so  much  relief,  to  the  brave  soldier  who  has 
recently  lost  a  leg  or  an  arm,  or  had  his  side  pierced 
with  a  bayonet  while  gallantly  mounting  the  ram- 
parts of  his  country's  enemy. 

There  was  no  head  to  the  Hos})ital  Department, 
which  was  extremely  deficient  in  almost  every  respect. 
Those  to  whom  the  important  duties  of  that  depart- 
ment had  been  committed  were  but  a  young,  inexperi- 
enced set  of  men,  with  nothing  but  the  title  of  Sur- 
geon to  recommend  them,  or  to  give  them  a  claim  to 
employment,  and  the  principal  part  of  whom  had 
been  picked  up  here  and  there  among  the  militiii, 


MA.T.-GEN.  Harrison's  campaign  of  1812-13.     403 

wherever  a  person  could  ])e  fouiul  with  a  lancet 
in  his  pocket,  or  who  liad  bv  some  means  or  other 
ohtained  the  title  of  doctor.  Such  were  the  pei-sons 
wliose  duty  it  became,  to  say  whetlier  the  limb  of 
a  gallant  officer  or  brave  young  soldier  should  be 
lopped  oil:',  oi"  pi'eserved.  There  had  previt>usly  been 
a  man  of  skill  and  talents  at  the  head  of  the  Hospital 
Department,  but  one  alike  destitute  of  honor  and 
reputation,  and  Avhose  departure  from  the  army  was 
followed  with  disgrace.  What  was  to  be  expected 
from  that  de])artment,  thus  managed  and  most 
wretchedly  supj)lied  i  What  prospects  of  recovery 
had  the  wounded  ;  dying  for  a  gill  of  gin  or  a  spoon- 
ful of  vinegar  i  Neither  were  to  be  had  I  Not  a 
particle  of  vegetables,  nor  a  i)ound  of  fresh  meat; 
and  one  hundred  miles  from  any  inhabitants ;  not 
more  than  one-third  of  the  army  fit  for  duty,  and 
tliat  third  to  })erform  all  the  ordinary  duties  of  the 
camp ;  to  make  many  considerable  repairs  in  the 
lines  (for  we  knew  not  how  soon  the  enemy  might 
return)  and  to  give  the  I'equired  and  necessary  at- 
tendance on  the  sick ;  in  short,  so  much  exhausted 
and  so  low  were  the  s))irits  of  those  who  were  re- 
})orted  for  duty,  that  for  a  number  of  days  it  was 
painful  for  an  officer  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  put- 
ting his  men  upon  the  slightest  service.  The  camp 
exhibited  a  very  melancholy  spectacle  for  s<^)nie  time. 
The  success  of  having  defeated  the  enemy,  and 
disappointed  his  best  expectations,  was  nothing 
when  contrasted  with  the  sufferings  and  hardsliips 
\vhich  they  had  to  undergo.  It  was  by  no  means 
astonishing   that    the    troops    should    be   generally 


I 


Lit'! 

r>Ml:' 


fm 


404       LIEUT.-COLONEL    K   D.  WOOd's    JOURNAL    OF 

gloomy  and  low  spirited,  when  we  come  to  consider 
that  they  were  i)rinci[)ally  men  of  family  and  who 
were  on  a  tour  of  duty  only  for  a  few  days ;  that 
many  were  ah'eady  dead,  others  dying  constantly ; 
and  that  the  shocking  disaster  of  Dudley's  defeat 
of  the  5tli  was  still  fresh  upon  their  recollections. 


* 


•se- 


* 


* 


We  regret  that  the  remainder  of  this  most  in- 
teresting narrative  of  the  Cam])aign  of  1818  in  the 
Northwest,  hy  one  of  its  distinguished  participants, 
is  not  to  be  found.  It  was  doubtless  loaned  and 
not  returned  ;  hence,  jjrobably,  we  shall  never  read 
Wood's  grapliic  account  of  Proctor's  sec(nid  ex- 
pedition up  the  Maumee  to  attack  Fort  Meigs,  and 
the  inglorious  defeat,  by  the  gaHant  Croglian,  of  the 
baifled  British  savage,  at  Fort  Stephenson.  Tliese 
events,  however,  we  have  described  in  our  sketch  of 
the  Western  Campaign  of  1813,  in  the  third  clia])ter. 

Fortunately,  in  an  old  note  book  found  in 
Wood's  pocket,  when  he  was  killed  at  Fort  Erie,  we 
have  found  the  following  entries  i-elating  to  Hai-ri- 
son's  invasion  of  Canada  which  describe  the  t)pera- 
tions  up  to  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  an  account  of 
wdiich  action  we  have  before  fully  given : 

Camp  on  the  Peninsula, 

Septemher  11,  1813. 

I  received  orders  on  the  9th  inst.,  to  repair  to 
Lower  Sandusky — there  to  assume  the  immediate 
command  of  two  companies  of  artillery,  connnauded 
by  Captains  Price  and  Thomas,  the  latter  Pennsyl- 
vania drafted  troops,  and  to  embai'k  them  with  all 


MA.I.-GEN.   HAUFtlSON's    CAMPAIGN    OF    1812-13.      405 


or  such  part  of  the  ordnance  as  I  might  deem  most 
proj)er. 

In  pursuance  of  said  orders,  I  went  to  Sandusky, 
made  the  necessary  arranj^ements,  and  on  the  12th 
at  8  o'ch)ck  a.  m.,  my  detachment,  consisting  of  130 
men  witli  eleven  i)ieces  of  ordnance,  were  .ill  on  board 
the  boats.  T\w  day  was  fine — we  set  sail  with  a 
fair  wind  and  delightful  music  ;  and  just  at  night 
landed  on  the  south  side  of  the  Peninsula  and  near 
the  mouth  of  Sandusky  River. 

This  river  is  generally  fi'om  60  to  80  yards  wide, 
and  is  naviijable  for  bateaux  as  hisrli  ui)  as  San- 
dusky,  or  Fort  Ste[)henson — a  place  rendered  mem- 
orable on  account  of  the  gallant  defense  which 
Major  Croghan  made,  on  the  2d  of  August,  1818, 
against  the  coml)iiied  attack  of  English  and  In- 
dians. 

The  banks  along  the  Sandusky  River  are  gen- 
erallv  very  low,  and  edsred  with  a  beautiful  border  of 
wild  grass — especially  tow^ards  its  mouth,  where  it 
seems  entirely  to  w'aste  itself  in  a  large  prairie  and 
is  again  collected  in  the  spacious  Bay  below.  It 
is  18  miles  from  Sandusky  to  the  mouth  of  the  river 
and  the  same  distance  from  thence  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Hay.  The  land  along  the  river,  from  Sandusky 
down,  and  the  Peninsula,  is  extremely  rich  and 
fertile.  Bull  Island  which  lies  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Bay,  is  a  perfect  garden,  spot. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  12th,  I  mounted 
my  horse,  took  Captain  Holmes  and  two  spies,  and 
went  to  the  mouth  of  Portage  River,  a  distance  of 
two  miles ;  on  arriving  there,   I  met  with  Captain 


406       LIET'T. -COLONEL    E.    D.   WOOd's    .rOT'RNAL    OF 

Stockton  of  the  infantry  juwt  from  the  fleet,  with 
dispatches  for  General  Harrison,  whicli  contained  an 
acconnt  of  the  orlorious  victory  wliicli  our  Navy 
gained  over  the  enemy  on  Lake  Erie  on  the  10th  inst., 
and  reijuesting  assistance  in  hmding  and  securing  tlie 
prisoners. 

.  I  instantly  returned  to  camp,  mounted  Captain 
C,  and  gave  liim  a  guide  and  he  went  on  to  head- 
quarters. I  wrote  the  following  letter,  and  sent  it 
by  him  to  the  General  : 


M 

: 

■M 
■'■! 

Camp  on  the  Peninsula, 

Sq)tHnher  12,  1813. 
Dear  Sir  : 

With  my  detachment  and  eleven  pieces  of  ord- 
nance I  have  encamped  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Peninsula,  near  the  mouth  of  Sandusky  Run. 

I  am  informed  ])y  CJaptain  Stockton  that  Com- 
modore Perry  is  in  great  ^vant  of  aid,  having  many 
prisoners  aboard  the  fleet,  and  his  crews  very  much 
exhausted.  In  conseipience  of  ^vhich  information  I 
have  tliought  proper  to  despatch  Captain  Price  with 
a  detachment  of  fifty  men  to  his  assistance. 

I  have  laid  out  an  excellent  road  to  the  mouth 
of  Portage  River,  and  find  at  that  place  a  delightful 
situation  to  encamp  our  troops. 

I  am,  etc., 

E.  D.  Wood, 

Major  of  3igineers,  Gommamiing  Detachment  of  ArtUiery. 

MajoIi-Genebal  William  H.  Hakiiison, 
Vomnuindinij  the  N.   IV.  Army, 


MA.i.-oEN.  Harrison's  campaign  of  1812  i:j.    407 


Camp  on  the  Peninsula, 

Scqytenihcr  12,  1813. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  am  informed  by  Captain  Stockton,  who  lias 
just  lefttliis  for  thelieadciuartersof  the  N.  W.  Army, 
that  you  have  a  large  niniiber  of  prisoners  on  board 
the  fleet ;  that  your  crews  are  ([uite  exhausted,  and 
that  you  are  in  want  of  aid.  I  thei'efore  have  thoui!:ht 
proper  to  despatch  Captain  Price  with  a  detachment 
of  fifty  men  to  your  assistance.  Should  you  see  fit 
to  8en<l  anv  in'isoners  ashore,  1  shall  have  it  in  mv 
power  to  secure  as  many  as  Cjiptain  Price's  detach- 
ment Avill  l)e  able  to  bring. 

Permit  me  to  congratulate  you,  sir,  on  the  splen- 
did victory  you  have  achieved  over  the  enemy  on 
Lake  Erie. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  high  consideration 
and  esteem,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

E.  D.  Wood, 

Major  Commnnding  Detachment  of  Artillery, 
Commodore  Perry, 

Commandhiij  the  American  Fleet  on  Lake  Erie. 

On  the  13th  of  September  I  marched  a  detach- 
ment of  100  men  to  the  mouth  of  Portage  River, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  same  day,  got  all  my  ord-' 
nance  across  the  Peninsula  to  that  place,  which  I  had 
selected  as  the  most  eligible  situation  as  well  for  the 
encampment  as  for  the  embarkation  of  our  whole 
army.  General  Harrison,  like  a  flash  of  lightning, 
to  my  utter  astonishment,  arrived  there  the  same 
evening — as  did  also  Colonel  Paul  with  his  regiment. 

The  next  day  we  fired  several  signal  guns  for  the 


408       LIEnT.-COLONKL    E.    I).   WOOn's    JOruXAL    OF 


w 


fleet  to  come  in,  that  the  [H'isoriers  miu;ht  be  bi'oii<i;ht 
ashore.  At  about  0  oVhx'k  in  tlie  moriiin<j^,  seeing 
nothing  of  the  fleet,  I  climbed  into  tlie  top  of  a  tall 
tree,  from  which  with  my  glass,  I  ^\as  able  to  dis- 
cover four  vessels  just  getting  under  way  near  Put- 
in-Bay, and  standing  in  for  the  shore.  They  arrived 
off  the  mouth  of  Portage  at  4  i'.m.,  and  immediately 
began  landing  their  [)ris()ners.  That  night  and  the 
next  day  about  300  and  u[)\\*ards  were  hinded  and 
put  under  a  stiong  guard, 

I  was  re(|Uested  by  the  General  to  take  some  of 
the  oflRcers  to  my  f|uarters,  which  I  did — notwith- 
standing I  had  a  very  great  aversion  to  Knglishmen, 
and  wished  to  meet  them  no  where  ])ut  on  the  field. 

Two  Lieutenants,  brothers,  by  the  name  of 
Garden  lived  with  me  until  the  morning  of  the  iSth, 
when  I  received  ordei's  from  the  Adjutant  General 
to  embark  my  corps  together  with  the  ordnance, 
and  proceed  to  Put-in-Bay  and  there  land  on  one  of 
the  islands.  77iese  rmwe  very  plenHhig  aniens  to  ine 
for  I alwaj/s  like  to  he  alieml  of  the  main  Armi/,  and 
to  tarry  hut  a  very  short  time  in  any  one  plare. 
Colonel  Paul  received  orders  at  the  same  time.  We 
embarked  our  corps — and  under  the  immediate 
directions  of  General  Cass,  we  proceeded  to  Put-in- 
Bay  and  landed  late  in  the  afternoon  on  Edward's 
Island.  The  wind  breezing  up  late  in  the  day  and 
some  of  my  bateaux  being  loaded,  it  was  with 
some  diflSculty  they  were  able  to  get  in.  Only  one, 
commanded  by  a  timid  old  maid,  put  back,  and  did 
not  arrive  for  one  or  two  days  afterwards. 


* 


* 


* 


i^^±: 


M.U.-UKN.  HAKUISON's    CAMI'AION   OF    1812  13.      409 


Se[)tem)»ei*  'iOtli.  1,500  ti'oojw  jirrivcd  on 
Edwjinrs  Islniid  from  cjinij)  No.  2,  at  the  mouth  of 
Poi'tjiL,'*^  River,  since  yesterdjiy  morniiiL';.  The  Army 
in  tine  healtli  and  s[)irits  ;  tlie  weatlier  extremely 
pleasant  and  favorable  to  our  o|)erations. 

Se[)tember  24,  1818.  This  morning  at  9  o'clock 
the  troo|)s  began  to  embai'k  on  board  tlie  vessels, 
and  to  move  on  to  the  Westernmost  Sister.  Genei'al 
Ilari'ison  end)arked,  ])ut  in  coiise(iuence  of  bad 
weather  and  adverse  winds,  after  going  out  a  short 
distance,  returned  with  the  transports,  and  landed. 

4  o'clock  P.M.  Just  received  orders  to  hold  mv 
command  in  readiness  to  embark  to-morrow  m< ►ruing 
at  8  o'clock — all  ready  and  have  been  so  sih-je  8  o'clock 
this  morning. 

September  25tli.  To-day  the  army  left  Put-in- 
Bay  and  went  to  the  Middle  Sister,  a  small  island 
situated  in  the  Lake,  and  a])out  18  miles  from  Mai- 
den. That  night  after  we  arrived  on  the  island. 
General  Harrison,  Commodore  Perry,  the  General 
Staff  and  myself  went  on  board  a  pilot  boat,  for  the 
purpose  of  going  on  a  reconnoitring  trip  to  Maiden. 
The  wind  being  fair,  at  break  of  day  we  got  under 
way,  and  run  up  to  Maiden — or  within  a  very  short 
distance  of  Amherstburo^h,  took  soundincrs  and  ex- 
amined  the  coast  for  three  or  four  miles  below  the 
town.  We  discovered  that  Maiden  and  all  the  pub- 
lic buildings  had  been  burnt.  Its  ruins  were  yet 
smoking.  We  returned  to  the  island — spent  the 
night  there  and  early  the  next  morning  the  army 
was  embarked  for  the  invasion  of  Canada.  The 
wind  was  fair  and  the  day  extremely  beautiful.  Our 


410       LUWT.'COhO^EL   K.   D.  WOOD's   .TOntNAL    OK 


j;;* 


i~  rl;i 


)+,:! 


hu'ffe  vessels  and  from  80  to  90  hjitejiiix  all  started 
at  the  same  time,  and  exhibited  one  of  the  fj^randest 
scenes,  almost,  that  my  eyes  ever  beheld.  The  day 
was  important  and  interestini^  to  every  one  in  the 
army  whi.Ii  consisted  of  abont  4,500  Kentucky 
militia  and  2,r)00  regulars. 

On  this  occasion,  I  commanded  a  battalion  of 
artillery — all  Ijelonging  to  the  N.  VV.  Army — and 
crossed  the  lake  with  six  ])ieces  mounted  in  bateaux 
— one  gun  in  each — loaded  and  matches  lighted 
— so  that  I  could  have  fought  as  well  by  sea  as 
land. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  we 
landed  three  miles  below  Amherstburgh,  without 
opposition — the  same  night  marched  up  to  Foi-t 
Maiden,  and  encamped,  where  we  remained  till  the 
next  morning,  when  we  commenced  our  nuircli  and 
proceeded  about  half  way  to  kSandwich. 

On  the  29th,  the  army  arrived  at  Sandwich 
where  it  i-emaiiied  nntil  the  3d  of  October. 

General  Proctor,  after  burning  Maiden  and  all 
the  public  buildings  in  Andierstburgh,  had  retreated 
to  Sandwich,  where  he  remained  till  our  army  was 
in  possession  of  the  ruins  of  Maiden,  ^vhen  lie  again 
took  up  his  line  of  march  for  the  River  Detroit. 

The  Indians  were  very  numerous  on  our  approach 
to  Detroit,  but  soon  left  the  villas^e  on  seeing  oui' 
vessels  and  troops  moving  up  the  River  St.  Clair. 

The  country  along  both  sides  of  this  river  is  one 
of  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  that  I  have 
ever  met  with  in  any  part  of  the  United  States. 
Immediately  on  its  banks  the  land  is  fertile,  and  in 


MA-T.-OKX.    ITAUUTSOX'S    CAMrATOX    OF    1S12  13.      411 


a  liii^li  stnto  of  ciiltivation.  Tlio  iiilialtitantH  on 
tliti  Eiiujlish  hIioiv  Jirc  piMiicipully  CaiiadianM  or 
French. 

Detroit  is  ji  perfect  ))jira(lise,  l)ut  many  of  its 
beauties  have  been  (h^faced  and  tarnislicd  hy  tlie 
ruthless  hand  of  the  savai^e. 

()<!tol)er  2d. — To-day  the  army  conunences  its 
march  in  pursuit  of  (xeneral  Proctor. 

October  1«),  1813.— On  the  iM  inst.,  tiie  army 
left  Sandvvicli  in  puisuit  of  Proctor,  and  at  niijlit 
encani[)ed  within  six  miles  of  the  Uiv(!r  Thames. 
Early  the  next  morning  we  commenced  our  iinirch, 
and  at  about  10  oVlock  a.  m.  we  took  a  Lieutenant 
of  dragoons  and  sixteen  ])rivates,  who  wei'e  em- 
ployed in  cutting  down  a  bridge;  this  indication  of 
our  approach  to  Proctor  stinudated  the  army  ex- 
tremely, and  we  marched  tliat  (biy  nearly  thirty 
miles,  and  encami)ed  at  John  Pike's,  on  the  Thames. 
The  enemy  were  so  hard  j^ressed  the  next  day  that 
they  were  compelled  to  set  fire  to  two  gun-boats 
which  were  heavilv  laden  with  ordnance  and  other 
stores,  and  consumed  the  whole.  At  l^<iwler  they 
also  burnt  vast  supplies  of  munitions  of  war,  and 
property  of  almost  every  description  to  a  very  con- 
siderable amount.  Our  army  arrived  there  suffi- 
ciently early  to  save  from  the  flames  a  considerable 
(piantity  of  fixed  ammunition  and  a  few  barrels  of 
pork.  Every  few  miles  we  heard  of  the  enemy, 
and  our  spies  were  very  freipiently  in  contact  with 
his  rear  guard.  On  the  5th,  in  the  morning  early, 
we  came  up  and  took  one  kSergeant  and  fourteen 
]>rivates  in  a  boat ;  shortly  after  the  spies  took  a 


412    MAJ.-GEN.  Harrison's  campaign  oi^  I812  13. 


m 


Captain  Crowther,  liis  family,  and  about  forty  or 
fifty  privates. 

In  crossing  the  riglit  brancli  of  tlie  Thames,  at 
the  forks  yesterday,  we  had  <piite  a  briisli  with  the 
Indians.  The  enemy  liad  gone  over,  taken  up  the 
plank  of  the  bridge,  and  left  the  Indians  to  oppose 
our  crossing,  while  the  English  army  continued  its 
f<Ioio  and  easy  retreat. 

So  soon  as  we  came  to  the  bridge  the  Indians 
commenced  firing  on  our  men.  I  was  immediately 
directed  to  bring  up  the  artillery  and  cannonade  the 
enemy,  as  well  across  the  branch  as  over  the  main 
stream,  where  was  posted  in  a  small  house  a  party 
of  Indians  and  English  for  the  purpose  of  annoying 
our  troops  while  crossing  the  river.  I  set  two 
6-pounders  to  work  upon  them  and  they  soon 
cleared  out,  and  went  oft'  in  great  haste.  We  re- 
paired the  bridge  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  the 
whole  army  was  soon  over  and  in  pursuit  of  John 
Bull. 


WW  .1 


THE  END. 


Pi 


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